


Dual Dilemma

by UMdancer98



Category: Batman (1966), Batman (Comics), Batman and Robin (Comics), Batman: The Animated Series
Genre: Angst, Family, Gen, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-24
Updated: 2020-08-05
Packaged: 2021-02-28 18:02:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 39,371
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23291377
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/UMdancer98/pseuds/UMdancer98
Summary: It's a race for revenge as two villains try to outwit each other. When a prize is added, the Caped Crusader and the Boy Wonder find themselves in double trouble.
Comments: 10
Kudos: 13





	1. Chapter 1

“Riddle me this, my clueless companions,” Riddler began and everyone grumbled.

“Shut up, you bizarre buffoon!” shouted the Mad Hatter. Riddler shot him a scathing look then glanced around the table. The other four villains were glaring at him so the green-clad man scowled and finished the riddle under his breath then giggled maniacally at his own wit.

“Calm yourselves, my loyal subjects!” King Tut commanded, raising both hands for silence. This time everyone rolled their eyes.

“I am the Clown Prince of Crime and subject to nobody!” Joker exclaimed, irritated with King Tut’s continual posturing.

“This is ridiculous,” growled Mr. Freeze. “Is anybody going to actually play or are we all just going to sit around and insult each other? The grand prize is important to me and if you continue to grumble I will declare myself the winner by forfeit!”

The talking stopped and the glares were now focused on the cold eyes of the man in the helmet. Silence reigned for thirty seconds as the villains began glancing around the table.

“That prize will be mine!” both Joker and Riddler yelled at the same time. The evil chuckling from Joker and high-pitched giggles from Riddler were contagious and soon the rest of the villains joined in the laughter.

“But what is the grand prize?” the lilting, feminine voice of the beautiful blonde inquired as she began placing each villain’s favorite dessert in front of him.

“Ah, the prize,” mused King Tut. “The winner of this delightful card game will have the chance to take out the Dynamic Duo! How fitting that this game is called ‘Egyptian Rat Killer’ since I am the one who is about to win.” A royal grin lit up his face as he imagined what he would do to Batman after capturing him.

“You distracting damsel!” Riddler suddenly cried. “I’m out,” he muttered with a frown.

“Oh, boohoo,” whined Joker less than ten seconds later. “I’m out, too.”

“This is preposterous,” snarled the Mad Hatter as his last card was taken by Mr. Freeze.

Mr. Freeze glared across the table. It was true; King Tut was about to win and there was no way to cheat. An idea popped into his mind and he grinned.

“What if,” the man addressed the so-called king, “we combine resources? It will be easier to capture them if two minds are working together to form a fool-proof plan.”

“Tsk, tsk, frozen felon,” replied King Tut. “I don’t work with anyone, especially a man who has to keep his body temperature at fifty degrees below zero. However…”

There was a long pause and the other four villains stared at the man, curiosity filling their eyes.

“I have no use for the Bat-brat,” the king continued arrogantly. “If they are together when I ensnare the Caped Crusader, you may have the boy.”

Mr. Freeze stared at King Tut incredulously. The royal prat was an idiot if he thought that the strongest villain here would be satisfied with capturing _Robin_!

“You think I would want the _kid_?!” Mr. Freeze exclaimed. “You really are a fool!” he snarled scornfully.

“I’ll take him!” Joker immediately shouted and Mr. Freeze instantly changed his mind. There was no way that ridiculous clown was going to take his half of the Dynamic Duo!

“Fine, I agree,” Mr. Freeze growled. He threw his cards on the table and King Tut was declared the winner.

“If you’ll excuse me, _subjects_ ,” King Tut smiled regally, “I must leave you in order to craft a royally perfect plan.”

He stood up and frowned when nobody else rose to acknowledge his departure. Shaking his head in dissatisfaction, King Tut turned around and strolled out the door.

* * *

**The next day – Mr. Freeze’s arctic hideout:**

“Frosty, Chilly, get in here!” Mr. Freeze commanded. His bumbling henchmen came running around the corner and slipped on the icy ground, landing in a heap at the villain’s feet.

“Idiots,” the man grumbled as he stepped away from the pile of flesh. The two men lay shivering in the cold air and Mr. Freeze walked over to his dinner table. Grabbing the remote that controlled the temperature, the villain enlarged the area of warmth and his goons quickly recovered enough to stand up.

They just stood there, staring blankly at him while rubbing the feeling back into their arms. Mr. Freeze rolled his eyes and shook his head. It was so difficult to find good henchmen these days. There were too many famous villains and not enough intelligent goons. 

“I have the perfect idea,” Mr. Freeze declared. He waited for a reply and, when none came, sighed loudly. “Don’t you want to hear it?!” the man demanded. The other two men slowly nodded and the villain grinned.

“So, we know that the professor-turned-villain won the game and the right to attack the Dynamic Duo.” He paused for a reaction then yelled, “Right?!”

The two men nodded again and Mr. Freeze attempted to find a simple way to describe his plan. It was obvious that these two would need slow, uncomplicated explanations.

“We will offer King Tut something he cannot refuse; force him to participate in another competition. Then, when _I_ win that contest, I will have both members of the Caped Crusaders _and_ the ability to play them against each other!”

The villain laughed loudly and was surprised when two pairs of green eyes lit up and the henchmen began chuckling.

“But what are we going to offer him, Boss?” the shorter of the two goons asked.

“That, Frosty, is an excellent question. I have finally finished my anti-hero freeze ray!”

There was complete silence and the henchmen just stared at the villain again. Their mouths were slack and their eyes were full of questions.

Sighing again, Mr. Freeze began to explain. “I will use the weapon on both members of the Dynamic Duo. Its power will turn them into villains. Then they will be forced to fight each other and I will make sure it is a fight to the death!”

“Will it last forever?” Chilly asked and the whitened eyebrows of the villain rose in surprise. Another good question!

“No, not yet,” he responded. “That part still needs to be worked out. However, the person who wins the fight will be so distraught that it will be easy to convince him that he is no longer a hero. Obviously, that person will be Batman.”

“So, uh, how are you going to get that king guy to let you have the Dynamic Duo?” Frosty inquired.

Grinning, Mr. Freeze replied, “I will offer him my ingenious anti-hero freeze ray. There is no way he, or anyone for that matter, would turn down something like that! But, he will have to compete against me in order to get it. I don’t quite know what the competition should be…” the villain trailed off thoughtfully. Walking away from his henchmen, he began focusing on setting up a contest that _he_ would be able to easily win.

* * *

**King Tut’s mobile palace:**

“Why, my subservient servants, can I not think of a perfect plan to capture the Bat and his brat?” King Tut lamented as he lay against the satin cushions of his lounge chair. Nobody responded and the villain rolled his eyes.

“Why must I have such loyal yet foolish servants?” he grumbled in displeasure. A ringing sound came from behind him and he covered his ears.

“What is that infernal noise?” he shouted. It immediately stopped and fifteen seconds later one of his henchmen stepped around the sheer curtain that separated the living area from his royal bedroom.

“Your Majesty,” the man began, “there is a Mr. Freeze on the phone. He said he would only talk to you. What shall I tell him, your kingliness?”

“Bring me the phone, you silly slave!” King Tut cried and the receiver was soon in the flabby flesh of his right hand.

“Speak now, villain, or face my wrath,” King Tut growled into the phone, irritated with the interruption.

“I have another proposal,” came the calm, icy voice of Mr. Freeze.

Rolling his eyes, the larger man asked, “What is it this time? I’m not giving you Batman and now I’m thinking about not even giving you his sidekick!”

“But wait!” cried Mr. Freeze. “I have something you might desire to use against the Dynamic Duo.”

“Tell me,” King Tut demanded and listened carefully as Mr. Freeze explained his anti-hero freeze ray and how it worked. The villain’s eyes lit up – he could force Batman to join him in his felonious exploits and the Bat-brat would be gone forever!

“I’ll take it!” King Tut declared. 

“Not so fast, Professor,” Mr. Freeze replied. “You must first win a competition.”

Growling again, the faux King of Egypt stated, “I already won a competition. Are you saying that I must face you again in order to have your innovative weapon? Ridiculous.”

The last word was muttered but the wheels in King Tut’s brain were rapidly turning. He wanted – no, _needed_ – that weapon and if he had to win another contest then so be it.

“What do you have in mind?” King Tut inquired.

“A chase!” the other villain stated confidently. “Whoever catches them first wins both the heroes and the anti-hero freeze ray!”

“What if only one is captured? Am I just supposed to let him go and try again?” The large man’s words were laced with sarcasm and he rolled his eyes.

“Hmmm, I didn’t think of that,” Mr. Freeze admitted. The phone was silent as both men attempted to figure out a solution.

“I’ve got it!” the frozen felon announced loudly. “You cannot use one as bait to trap the other. They must be captured together or the anti-hero ray is forfeit and will be destroyed. If you do catch only one, do with him what you will but without the weapon.” 

“How do I know you will keep your word about said weapon when I win?” King Tut demanded. “After all, you are a villain and I do not trust you.”

“We will both leave a henchman in a secure facility with the anti-hero freeze ray. That way, the villain who wins will have a man to bring it to him.”

Mr. Freeze waited impatiently as King Tut thought about that. Both mentally decided to send their strongest goon to ensure a successful outcome when the villain who won was ready for the weapon.

“I agree,” King Tut said regally. “I will send a man to warehouse number seven on Juniper Street tonight. The chase begins tomorrow at sunrise!” he declared and hung up the phone. Now he really needed a good plan, and fast.

“Three, go to the warehouse and don’t let that anti-hero freeze ray out of your sight!” the villain commanded and the muscular henchman bowed before racing out the door.

Mr. Freeze, meanwhile, packed up his newest invention and gave it to Frigid, _his_ largest man. “Get to the warehouse and keep it next to you. Do not, under any circumstances, allow King Tut’s goon to take it away from you. Understand?” he demanded. The man nodded, clutched the important weapon to his chest and took off.

“Destroyed?” Chilly asked, confused that his boss would wreck something he had just completed.

“I have another prototype,” Mr. Freeze stated with a shrug. “It’s not even close to being ready but it will at least force them to have a small argument. Disagreements can turn into fights, even between a crime-fighter and his sidekick. But, I’m going to capture both of them anyway so that question is moot.”

Frosty glanced at Chilly and muttered, “Idiot.”

_You’re both idiots._

Mr. Freeze rolled his eyes and left the room.

* * *

**The Batcave:**

Batman was in the Portable Freezing Chamber, shivering as the temperature reached ten degrees. Fourteen-year-old Robin was standing next to the door, alternating between yelling out the numbers and words of encouragement.

“Ten degrees, Batman! Just a little longer! Down to five, now. You’re almost there! Three, keep breathing, two, you got this, one, hang on, zero!”

The Boy Wonder flung the door open and a nearly frozen Batman tumbled out of the icy box.

“You did it! Zero degrees!”

“Nnnn…ot c…c…cold enough, ol’ chum,” the Caped Crusader stuttered through his chattering teeth. “Mr. Ffffreeeze has to…to stay at fif..fifty below zzzzero.”

Alfred draped a blanket over the man’s shoulders as Robin began rubbing his partner’s freezing arms. The numbness in his body began to fade and eventually the shivering stopped.

“But how do you know if you can survive fifty below when the Portable Freezing Chamber only goes to zero?!” Robin exclaimed.

“From what I experienced in there,” Batman replied as he looked back at the chamber, “I wouldn’t even be able to survive zero for an extended amount of time. Not even with my Special Thermal V Long Underwear and my anti-freeze Bat-suit. It’s a good thing we are testing equipment during this unusual break from criminal activity.”

Shaking his head, the Caped Crusader walked away from the Boy Wonder and headed for the Bat-changing area. Robin watched him leave, discouragement written all over his young face.

“Holy human popsicles, Alfred,” he whispered. “If we can’t find some way to combat the temperature then we’ll be dead before we even begin to fight!”

“An excellent observation, young sir,” Alfred replied solemnly. 

“Robin, please check the State Pen Occupancy Report,” Batman suddenly stated as he exited the Bat-changing area. “I have an odd feeling.”

Robin heard the slightly concerned tone of his partner’s voice and immediately went to the machine.

The Boy Wonder flicked and twisted and pushed all the correct knobs as Batman strode over. Three seconds later a card slid out of the exit slot. Picking it up, the man glanced at it then handed it to Robin.

“It’s just as I thought,” he murmured.

“Holy jail break, Batman!” Robin exclaimed. “Riddler, Joker, King Tut, Mad Hatter and Mr. Freeze!”

“Yes,” Batman replied. “What an interesting group of villains. Could they be working together? Too many egos, though,” he mused softly.

The Caped Crusader began pacing around the Batcave, deep in thought.

_BEEP. BEEP. BEEP._

Alfred was right next to the Batphone but Batman was almost there.

“Yes, Commissioner?”

“Batman, I have terrible news,” the commissioner began.

“Five villains have escaped from the penitentiary and are probably currently on their way to Gotham City,” Batman quickly stated.

Commissioner Gordon was speechless. How did Batman know that already? He, the commissioner of the Gotham City Police Department, had just found out two minutes ago!

“Commissioner, are you there?”

The Caped Crusader’s voice snapped the commissioner out of his stupor.

“Yes, I’m sorry, Batman. I shouldn’t be surprised that you already know. We haven’t seen any of them or heard of any abnormal activities. I was just going to make you aware of the situation but, as usual, you are on top of it. Thank you, Batman.”

The Batphone receiver in Batman’s right hand paused in mid-air. He heard the ‘click’ on Commissioner Gordon’s end but was too focused for it to register. Could those five particular villains actually be working together? Maybe it was a complete coincidence.

The receiver was suddenly pulled gently from his hand and replaced on its holder. Batman opened his deep-blue eyes that had automatically closed in concentration. Alfred was walking toward the Well-Known Criminals File and Robin was already at the Current Criminal Activity Bat-disclosure Unit. The machine was whirring away and the Boy Wonder had his hands on his hips with impatience strolling through his eyes.

_Ding_. Robin grabbed the card and raised his eyebrows skeptically.

“What is it, old chum?” Batman asked as he walked over to join his partner.

“It says ‘Egyptian Rat Killer’. That’s it, there’s nothing else!”

“Egyptian Rat Killer? I’ve heard that phrase before. But where…” Batman trailed off as he began searching his mind for the elusive memory.

Suddenly Robin snapped his fingers. “I’ve got it!” he exclaimed. “Remember that summer camp I went to last year?”

The teenager shook his head in exasperation. That question was rather foolish; of course Batman would remember that particular experience.

“Robin.”

Batman filled the short silence and the Boy Wonder was pulled back on track.

“It’s a card game! There was a group of three or four kids that always wanted to play ‘Egyptian Rat Killer’ when we had free time!”

“That’s it!” Batman declared. “How, exactly, is this game played? What are the rules, how does one win?”

Shaking his head again, Robin replied, “I never learned to play it because there were so many other, better things to do. Sorry.”

“No need to apologize, old chum, I’m not surprised. Now, where would five villains go to play a card game? And what an odd combination of villains. I could see Joker and Riddler working together but King Tut, Mr. Freeze and the Mad Hatter?”

“It’s a mystery to me, Batman. And why is it just a card game? How would they come up with a plan by playing cards?”

“I’m not sure, Robin, but it’s a mystery we must solve.”

“Maybe they just wanted to play cards. Maybe they aren’t planning anything. Maybe they’re starting a club for villains who escape from the State Pen.”

The last sentence was followed by a youthful grin and Batman almost rolled his eyes in amusement. The man folded his arms across his chest and shook his head.

“I don’t think you’re on the right track, Robin. When have any of those villains come to Gotham City without at least a partial plan for some crooked scheme?”

“You’re right,” the Boy Wonder replied, unconsciously imitating his partner’s actions.

Silence reigned as both crime-fighters attempted to figure out why a group of five cunning criminals would get together to play a card game.

“A competition,” Batman finally murmured. “They wouldn’t play for fun; there must be a prize. But what prize could be that important? There are no new exhibits opening at any museums or galleries, no famous jewels being displayed, no prominent people coming to town.”

Batman paused when he heard a tiny gasp. He looked over at his partner and was surprised to see wide eyes full of pride and surrounded by small dots of concern.

“You have an idea, chum?”

“Us,” Robin declared. “Every villain wants to defeat us, right? That’s something they all have in common!”

Smiling slightly, Batman stated, “That’s true but we are plain, ordinary crime-fighters. I hardly think that we could be considered worthy to be a prize. Remember, Robin, pride comes before a fall.”

“Gosh, yes, Batman,” the teenager acknowledged the wisdom with a nod of his head. 

_Ding_. Another card dropped out of the exit slot in the Current Criminal Activity Bat-disclosure Unit. Robin picked it up and this time his eyes widened in astonishment.

“Holy disappearing act, Batman! Joker, Riddler and Mad Hatter just left the Gotham City limits!” he exclaimed.

“They left?!” Batman responded incredulously. “Why would those three leave without taunting us or committing any sort of crime? Besides the fact that they escaped from the penitentiary, of course.”

“Another mystery to solve,” Robin stated.

“Hmmm,” Batman agreed. “But the more important one is regarding the two that are still in our fair city: King Tut and Mr. Freeze.”

“A dastardly duo, Master Batman, if they are working together,” Alfred commented.

“Indeed,” the Caped Crusader murmured in agreement. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: There is a plot point mentioned about halfway through. It is from episode 2x27 of the TV show - "The Penguin's Nest". So the credit for that goes to the writer of the script, Lorenzo Semple, Jr. There is also a person mentioned in the same conversation. The credit for her character goes to Lorenzo Semple, Jr., who wrote episode 1x15 of the TV show - "The Joker Goes to School".

**Juniper Street – Midnight:**

Three, the short but well-developed servant of His Royal Highness King Tut, peered around the western corner of the long row of warehouses. His target was number seven, the one in the middle under the creaky lantern that contained shattered glass instead of a lightbulb. He searched the darkness between the numbered walls and found nothing unusual or out of place. With his eyes wide and ears alert, Three stealthily made his way to number seven, where he pushed his back against the wall and carefully examined his surroundings again. 

There was a large padlock on the door and the henchman grinned. He was here before the man who had the weapon, giving him the advantage of surprise. The other advantage he had was even better: the golden key that would open the shiny lock. 

A quiet sound, almost like a cough, came from around the corner. Three quickly moved into the shadows between warehouses six and seven, crouching down to make himself as invisible as possible.

* * *

Frigid, after several wrong turns, finally made it to Juniper Street. The only thing good about this, besides the fact that he was carrying a weapon that could mean both the literal and figurative death of the Dynamic Duo, was the warmth. Mr. Freeze’s hideout was, not unexpectedly, freezing and Frigid was surprised that, so far, none of the other goons had become sick. He hadn’t been so lucky and the cough that had accompanied his illness refused to leave.

A light movement caught his eye – a gray shadow that slightly resembled a human silhouette. It disappeared around the corner before he could identify any characteristics. Frigid immediately stopped walking and pressed himself against the cement wall of the warehouse next to him. The tall, muscular man felt a tingle in his throat and closed his eyes. Coughing at this crucial moment was unacceptable. Not only would someone know he was here, but that person would also know his approximate location. But it happened anyway and he attempted to keep it as quiet as possible by covering his mouth with the large bicep on his right arm.

There was a nearly inaudible noise in response to the sound of his cough and Frigid opened his eyes. It was a soft, crunching sound, one that the henchman identified as a shoe quietly moving on gritty blacktop. Bringing the long, silver briefcase up to his chest in order to wrap both arms tightly around it, Frigid stood up as tall as possible and strode around the corner.

* * *

**King Tut’s mobile palace – early morning:**

“The Sphinx!” exclaimed the faux Pharaoh’s tallest servant, Two.

“We’ve used that one, you idiot,” King Tut grumbled as he rolled his eyes.

The villain and his henchmen had been brainstorming all night. King Tut had already rejected several ideas and his earlier irritation was becoming a royal temper tantrum. The chase was to begin in three hours and he still had no viable plan to capture the Dynamic Duo.

“May I speak freely, your Kingship?” asked a quiet voice from across the room.

“Yes, yes, of course, my queen,” the man replied flippantly with a wave of his hand.

“Why don’t we copy a trap from another villain? That’s something they won’t expect from you. It won’t be as good as any of your ideas, of course, but the element of surprise...”

“Have you lost your wits?” King Tut interrupted loudly. “I am not a copycat!”

“Yes, Your Highness. Please forgive me,” the false queen replied as she dropped her eyes to the ground.

“I’ve got it!” the villain shouted. “We shall use a large, sticky spider web and some knockout gas!”

“Like Black Widow and Joker,” mumbled Two, just low enough to ensure that his boss wouldn’t be able to hear the comment.

The dark-haired queen grinned slightly as she stared at the ground. Forcing the expression away, she lifted her head.

“Where shall we obtain those things, my Pharaoh?”

“One!” King Tut yelled. A round man with brown hair and chocolate eyes immediately stepped forward. He was large but not muscular and King Tut usually gave him the easy jobs.

With a quick bow, he replied, “Yes, Your Majesty?”

“Find me a giant spider web and some knockout gas. I need them in ONE hour!”

“Yes, my King.”

The man known as One bowed again then waited to be dismissed.

“GO!” the villain yelled and the goon lumbered out of the room.

“Where are we going to put up a spider web?” Two inquired hesitantly. “There aren’t many places around here to hide something as big as that.”

“Gotham Central Park, of course,” King Tut replied, his tone condescending. “We will set it up in the darkest shadows of the trees. The Dynamic Dimwits won’t suspect a thing.”

The felonious Pharaoh grinned at the mental image of Batman stuck to a spider web, helpless to do anything but succumb to the strong knockout gas that would be used against him.

* * *

**Mr. Freeze’s arctic hideout – early morning:**

“How are you going to capture the Dynamic Duo, boss?” asked Chilly.

“The usual way, of course,” Mr. Freeze replied with a shrug.

“Your, um, freeze ray?” the goon inquired.

Rolling his eyes, and with exasperation in his voice, the villain retorted, “Is there any other ‘usual way’?”

Chilly scrunched up his face in concentration and Mr. Freeze shook his head in irritation.

“The answer is no, idiot,” Frosty mumbled, glad that the other henchman had been the one to ask that question.

“Where…” Chilly trailed off when his boss glared at him.

“Gotham Central Park. You are going to rob the jewelry store across from the park and run into the darkest shadows of the trees. I will use my freeze ray and both the ‘heroes’ and my anti-hero ray will be mine.”

“Simple,” Frosty grinned and Chilly quickly nodded in agreement.

“Yes,” stated Mr. Freeze.

_Because that’s what you two imbeciles need – simple._

* * *

**The Batcave – early morning:**

“Holy unexpected thievery, Batman!” Robin suddenly exclaimed. He was holding up a card that had just popped out of the Current Criminal Activity Bat-disclosure Unit.

The Caped Crusader was at the table in front of the Well-Known Criminals file, studying the dossiers of King Tut and Mr. Freeze. He lifted his head and waited for his young partner to explain.

“A giant spider web has just been stolen from Ragni. You know, the new novelty shop owned by Signora Ragno.”

“A giant web?” Batman mused quietly. “Which villain would use such a thing?”

“Holy foreign language!” Robin exclaimed again. “Ragno is Italian for spider – Black Widow!”

“I’m glad you are keeping up on your foreign language studies, Robin. One never knows when understanding another tongue will come in handy when fighting crime. However, Black Widow was just apprehended by our crime-fighting colleagues – Green Hornet and Kato.” 

“I didn’t know that,” Robin stated.

“It was announced last night on the evening news,” the Caped Crusader replied. “You were diligently working on your homework during that time.”

“Well, who then?” the Boy Wonder asked. “The only two villains we _know_ are in Gotham City are King Tut and Mr. Freeze. Neither of them would use a spider web.”

“Not so fast, old chum,” Batman declared. “It could be that one of them is trying to throw us off their trail.”

_Ding._

Robin grabbed another card, read it, raised his eyebrows quizzically and held it out to Batman. Striding quickly to his partner’s side, the Caped Crusader accepted the card and glanced at the words. He began staring at nothing in particular, tapping the card on his palm as his eyes turned thoughtful.

“What’s happening in Gotham Central Park today, Robin?”

“Nothing important,” the Boy Wonder replied. “There’s a rally at ten o’clock to oppose the closing of ‘The Penguin’s Nest’.”

“Oppose the _closing_ of it?” Batman repeated in surprise. “We just sent Penguin to the State Pen for the crimes he committed when he owned that restaurant!”

“Yes, but some of the people who weren’t ‘allowed’ to eat there before want it to remain open. Susie’s dad is even thinking about trying to buy it!”

Glancing at his young partner, Batman asked, “How would you like to attend a rally today, Robin?”

“Gosh, Batman, do we have to? The food wasn’t _that_ great!”

“Imagination is a powerful thing, old chum. Those who weren’t ‘allowed’ to eat there could only imagine the taste of the cuisine. Now is their chance to sample it, so long as it remains open. If you had been left out while it was in the ownership of that pilfering Penguin, perhaps you would also feel that way.”

“I suppose you’re right,” the Boy Wonder acknowledged with a shrug of his shoulders.

* * *

**Warehouse 7 – Juniper Street:**

“And don’t even get me started on the temperature!” Frigid declared with a roll of his eyes. As if to prove his point, a series of short coughs erupted from his throat.

The henchman named Three chuckled. “At least you don’t have to pay homage to a guy who believes he’s the King of Egypt! I think sometimes he gives ridiculous commands just to watch us bow!”

The two goons were sitting on crates in the nearly empty warehouse, regaling each other with tales of their respective bosses. They had been in the small, cement block room for nearly eight hours now. It was hot, stuffy, boring and both men were tired of it.

“This is stupid,” Frigid suddenly stated.

Three nodded morosely and stood up. Stretching his arms over his head, he glanced at the package lying at the feet of his counterpart. An idea raced through his mind and he burst into loud, boisterous laughter.

Startled, Frigid jumped to his feet and glared at the man across from him. Two burly fists automatically rose in defense and his body tensed with anticipation.

The laughter stopped when Three saw the other man’s expression. Holding up his hands in surrender, he smirked.

“I have an idea,” Three said with a slightly evil chuckle. “We have the weapon. If _we_ use it on the Dynamic Duo, _we_ can become the bosses.”

A matching smirk manifested itself on the face of Frigid as he relaxed his arms.

“I like it,” he said with a quick chuckle that turned into a cough. “I won’t have to be frozen all the time. But how?”

“Why not just draw them into a trap and use the weapon?” Three replied. “If it does what it’s supposed to, they’ll become henchmen and we’ll be the villains!”

Frigid’s smirk grew into a grin. Now all they needed was a place to spring their trap, preferably somewhere that King Tut and Mr. Freeze wouldn’t even think about choosing.

“Gotham Central Park!” he unexpectedly shouted. “There’s some sort of rally; our bosses, soon to be _former_ bosses, won’t want to use such an obvious place.”

Three looked at the other man skeptically. “Are you sure? A rally, with lots of innocent people, is the perfect place to commit a crime if you want to draw attention to yourself. And that’s what they want to do, right?”

“Sure, which is why they won’t go there! The rally is for that restaurant run by Penguin before he was captured. There will probably only be three or four people! That won’t draw much attention, especially from the Caped Crusaders.”

“Then how are we going to get Batman and Robin to go there?” Three was still skeptical about the idea.

“There’s a jewelry store across the street. We take a necklace or two and they’ll come after us! We get them to the trees and our plan will easily work.”

Silence filled the room as both men considered the theory. Three slowly began nodding and Frigid grinned again.

“It just might work,” King Tut’s henchman replied. Holding out his hand, he waited for the other man to complete the deal. Frigid didn’t even hesitate, tightly clasping Three’s hand and shaking hard.

“I’ll steal, you use the anti-hero freeze ray,” Three stated. “I don’t know how it works and we have to be perfect if our plan is going to succeed.”

Nodding, Frigid grabbed the case with the valuable weapon and both men walked to the door. Three opened it, took a quick peek outside then strode into the early morning sunlight. He motioned to Frigid, who joined him outside, and the two soon-to-be-former henchmen began walking toward the end of the row of warehouses.

“I’m driving an old sedan with a carriage attached,” Three mentioned with a roll of his hazel eyes. “We should take your car.”

Frigid chuckled; of course King Tut would attach a carriage to a car. He, on the other hand, had brought Mr. Freeze’s brown, run-down piece of junk that nobody in Gotham City would find suspicious.

Turning the corner, the men strode to the vehicle, climbed in and took off for Gotham Central Park.

* * *

**Gotham Central Park – nine o’clock:**

“Holy popularity, Batman! I didn’t think this many people would show up to try to save a _restaurant_!”

Batman was staring at the crowd, surprise in his eyes. There were at least eighty-six people with more streaming in the open gates at each entrance to the park.

“I agree, Robin,” he stated quietly. “But why would either King Tut, Mr. Freeze or both want to disrupt a large rally?”

There was a short pause and then a murmured, “He wants attention.”

“Which ‘he’?” Robin whispered. “Or could they really be working together?”

“I still don’t have the answer to that mystery, old chum. We’ll have to let this play out.”

* * *

**Darkest part of the trees in the northern portion of Gotham Central Park’s forest:**

“They’re here, your Kingship!” One stated quietly. “But what’s going on? Why are so many people here?”

“I don’t know, you fool, and it doesn’t matter! All we have to do is draw them away from the crowd and into our trap.”

“How?” Two asked, a little too loudly for King Tut’s liking.

“Quiet, imbecile, and it’s not your place to question my methods! Now go across the street and rob that jewelry store! When they begin chasing you, lead them here.”

Bowing quickly, Two raced out of the trees and across the street.

* * *

**Darkest part of the trees in the southern portion of Gotham Central Park’s forest:**

“See that jewelry store across the street?” Mr. Freeze whispered to Frosty. Not waiting for a reply, he demanded, “Go grab something and make sure the Dynamic Dunderheads see you. When they begin chasing you, lead them here.”

Frosty scratched his head, both fear and confusion in his eyes. “But what if they catch me?”

“Just run faster than them, idiot,” the villain replied quietly as he clenched his jaw in frustration. “GO!” he commanded softly and the short henchman raced out of the trees and across the street.

* * *

**Gotham’s Fine Jewelers – across from Gotham Central Park:**

Three stared in shock as two men entered the store at separate entrances. He immediately recognized Two and the other guy looked like he belonged to Mr. Freeze.

“Well, I guess the gang’s all here,” Three whispered to himself. “I’ll have to hurry if I want to win this race.”

The goon thought for a minute and then grinned. He would let them do the stealing. Then he and Frigid would have the advantage of already being prepared.

King Tut’s muscle man turned toward the back of the store and crept quietly out the door. Quickly strolling around the next two stores, he unobtrusively made his way across the street and into the shadows at the edge in the middle of the trees.

“Change of plans,” Three stated softly when he stopped next to Frigid. “Two goons, one from each of our bosses, are robbing the store for us. Forget our idea; just be ready to fire when Batman and Robin chase those guys over here.”

Nodding, Frigid unpacked the anti-hero freeze ray and pressed the silver button on one end of the cylindrical weapon. There was a quiet buzz as the machine began to warm up. Frigid held the ray – which was now pulsing with a soft, blue light – in front of him and rested his right forefinger on the trigger.

“Ready?” Three whispered and Frigid, with a slight grin, nodded again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know that Green Hornet and Kato, in canon, are considered criminals (I could dive into that but this story isn't about them). When they were a window cameo in the TV show, Batman and Robin were cordial to them. So let's just say that our crime-fighters consider them to be the good guys. :)


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: There are two words near the end that come from episode 1x26 in the TV show - "Batman Sets the Pace". So the credit for that phrase goes to Francis and Marian Cockrell, authors of the script.

**Gotham Central Park – 9:22:**

“The jewelry store, Batman!” the Boy Wonder exclaimed quietly. “Those two men that just entered Gotham’s Fine Jewelers are obviously henchmen of King Tut and Mr. Freeze!”

“Precisely, Robin!” the Caped Crusader replied.

“Well, I guess that answers one of our questions,” the teenager stated. “But _why_ are they working together?”

“Let’s go find out,” Batman answered as he began walking toward the store. “But be careful, old chum. Someone is bound to have some sort of treacherous trap waiting for us.”

The Caped Crusader abruptly stopped when he noticed movement to his right, causing the Boy Wonder to walk right into the man’s back.

“Sor…” Robin began but was cut off when Batman held up his right hand.

“One more just left the alley near that very store!” the older hero whispered, flicking his head toward the man making his way to the trees. “Let’s follow him first.”

Robin nodded and they turned around, quietly moving away from the crowd and following the man who was disappearing into the shadows.

* * *

**Gotham’s Fine Jewelers:**

“Just what do you think you’re doin’?” Chief O’Hara demanded. He caught the wrist of King Tut’s henchman, Two, who had just taken a diamond and sapphire necklace out of a jewelry case.

“What are you doing?” Commissioner Gordon exclaimed. He put a hand on the shoulder of Mr. Freeze’s henchman, Frosty, who was putting a set of ruby earrings laced with gold into his pocket.

Both henchmen, startled, immediately dropped the jewelry and twisted away from the lawmen. They raced out the door, each confused as to why the other was there, and fled across the street toward their respective bosses hidden in the trees.

* * *

**The edge of the trees:**

“Stop!” Frigid yelled as Batman and Robin came into view. He was holding the anti-hero freeze ray up to his shoulder like a shotgun. Three stood beside him, grinning at the surprised look on the faces of the Dynamic Duo.

“Put the weapon down and come quietly,” Batman instructed, his voice firm but not harsh.

“Don’t take another step, Bat-brat,” Three snarled, borrowing his boss’s name for the younger crime-fighter.

“Robin,” Batman warned.

The Boy Wonder’s body was tense and he was bouncing lightly on the balls of his feet. The Caped Crusader knew exactly what his partner was thinking. He also knew that, depending on the weapon, Robin’s idea could get him killed.

* * *

Choreography filled Robin’s mind as his eyes danced from the weapon to the goons and back again. A front handspring to his right would cause the man with the freeze ray, or whatever it was, to shift his position. That would allow Batman to move left and take out the other henchman. The teen knew he was athletic enough to avoid whatever was going to come out of that weapon. All he had to do was move quickly and keep the man focused on him so that Batman, after dispatching the unarmed man, could attack from behind. This was going to be easy.

He heard the warning tone and knew that Batman recognized what was about to happen. Grinning slightly, Robin glanced first at his partner then flicked his eyes toward the goon without the gun. Knowing that Batman would understand the look, the teenager abruptly dove to his right and threw himself into a front handspring. There was a sizzling sound, almost like a sausage jumping around in a skillet, and Robin immediately dropped to a crouch. A flash of blue raced over his head and his eyes widened. That had been too close; he was going to be in trouble when they were done with the henchmen.

* * *

Batman knew Robin had heard the warning. The boy was usually good at following instructions but could also be impulsive. So, the Caped Crusader wasn’t really surprised when his partner glanced at him with a smirk before diving to the right. He was surprised, however, when a blast of blue flew out of the weapon so fast that it almost hit Robin before he had even landed his trick. 

The abnormal, almost-harmful-consequence uncharacteristically distracted the Caped Crusader. Instead of taking out the other man, Batman watched the lightning zip over the small head of his young partner. His eyes filled with shock and his mind faintly registered the distinctive ‘click’ of a gun being reloaded.

Before the hero could even react to the sound, his chest exploded with pain. There was blue all around him and his blood felt like it was boiling. It lasted ten seconds and then he dropped to the ground, his entire body throbbing as he landed on his back and closed his eyes.

“Batman!” Robin yelled, popping up from his crouch and whirling around.

The weapon was turning on him and the Boy Wonder momentarily froze. Avoid the blue lightning and take out the men or avoid the blue lightning and check on his partner? It wasn’t really a difficult decision; he would always choose Batman first.

The end of the weapon was already blue and Robin, recognizing the danger, sprinted toward the tree that was five yards away. He ran up the thick trunk, flipped backwards off the wood and rebounded into a back handspring. A rush of burning air flew past his right leg mid-handspring and he heard a soft explosion. The teenager’s eyes widened again when he stood up and saw the large tree that had just been sliced in half falling toward him.

“Holy electricity!” he muttered and raced to his partner’s side.

Batman was motionless, his eyes closed but his breathing steady. Robin realized that he was in more than a little trouble when the upper branches of the split tree landed all around him. The pointed end of a sharp branch grabbed the skin on his left bicep and tore a good-sized chunk off his arm. Blood immediately began streaming out of the wound but he couldn’t do anything about that right now.

“Wake up, Batman!” Robin shouted as he roughly shook the man’s right shoulder. “Come on, wake up! I need your help!”

A sudden pain in the middle of his back caused Robin to arch as all thoughts of helping his partner disappeared. He couldn’t feel anything except the boiling of his blood and the only thing he heard was the loud pounding of a drum in his right ear. Ten seconds later the young hero dropped limply to the ground.

Three stared at Frigid in amazement. The man had taken down both members of the not-so-Dynamic Duo in less than thirty seconds! The anti-hero freeze ray was impressive. It had recharged itself so quickly that Frigid had been able to fire off four blasts of blue energy in that same amount of time.

And now Batman and Robin were both motionless on the ground. There were tree branches all around them and the sidekick was bleeding.

“How do we know if it worked?” Three suddenly asked, glancing at Frigid.

“Ummm, I don’t know,” Frigid replied with a shrug. “Just wait, I guess.”

They didn’t have to wait long. Exactly twenty-six seconds after Robin had dropped to the ground, unconscious, Batman slowly opened his eyes. He moaned softly and tried to sit up but quickly changed his mind. His head was pounding, his chest ached and something was pinning his legs to the ground.

Eleven seconds later the quiet moan came from Robin, who was on his stomach with his torso resting on his partner’s knees. The Boy Wonder, head pulsing and back throbbing, pushed himself up to sitting and grabbed his head with both hands. The movement caught Batman’s attention and he, too, sat up.

“You’re bleeding,” the man whispered and both heroes flinched at the loud noise.

Robin looked down at his arm, picked up the lower half of his cape on the left side and pressed it against the injury.

“What happened?” Batman asked. The teenager lifted his head and stared incredulously at his partner.

“You have Dynamic Seniority!” he exclaimed, cringing when the sound increased the already enormous ache in his head. “You tell me!”

The boy’s tone was laced with anger. Batman growled as small flashes of recent events zipped through his mind.

“We wouldn’t be here on the ground,” the older crime-fighter yelled, “if you had stayed put when I gave you a warning!”

“Oh, so this is all _my_ fault?!” Robin yelled back as memories raced through his mind, also. “You clearly weren’t paying attention to my obvious hint! It was your job to take out the guy on the left! You’re _Batman_ ; you’re not supposed to get distracted!”

“And you’re the acrobatic _Boy Wonder_!” the Caped Crusader snapped. “You’re supposed to be able to tumble your way out of anything! Yet here we are, sitting on the ground surrounded by tree branches because _you_ almost got hit with whatever it was that came out of that weapon!”

“ _ALMOST!”_ Robin retorted loudly. “It flew over my head! You _did_ get hit and I almost got flattened by a tree because _you_ were unconscious and I was trying to help you!”

“You did a great job, didn’t you!” Batman roared sarcastically. “You really helped me out, protecting my knees from a falling tree!”

The Boy Wonder jumped to his feet and let go of his cape. Blood began sliding down his arm again but he ignored it.

“I’m never going to be good enough for you, am I?!” he roared right back. “It’s always ‘Robin made a mistake, Robin’s in trouble, this happened because of Robin’.”

“Maybe if you did something _right_ for once then things wouldn’t be your fault all the time! If you were smart enough to obey my instructions then we wouldn’t be put in so many dangerous situations!”

Batman’s thundering voice echoed around the park and everyone stopped what they were doing to stare at the hero and his sidekick.

Robin froze, shocked into silence. His wide blue eyes filled with moisture, a ball of humiliation filled his chest and his hands clenched into fists by his sides. Batman was also standing now and directing a fierce Bat-glare at his fourteen-year-old partner.

“ _You’re_ the one that decided we should follow this guy,” Robin stated, pointing to Three. His voice was low but everyone could hear the slightly threatening tone. “ _You’re_ the one that led us into this dangerous situation.”

“It wasn’t dangerous until you blatantly disobeyed my warning,” Batman countered. The man’s voice was as quiet as the boy’s but his tone was much more than slightly threatening. “I was calmly and rationally diffusing the situation.”

“You really think he was just going to put down the weapon and give himself up?! How many times has that happened in your ‘illustrious’ career?”

The questions were snarled and the tone was clearly condescending.

“It worked a lot more when I was fighting crime by myself!” Batman snarled right back. “When I didn’t have a _kid_ to protect!”

“You brought me into this life!”

“And that was obviously a huge mistake!”

They were roaring at each other again and there were several gasps from the bystanders watching the exchange. The lump in Robin’s chest grew heavier and he suddenly found it difficult to breathe normally. Batman _regretted_ allowing him to become Robin!

Frigid looked at Three. Now what? It had become a silent, glare-filled standoff and everyone was staring. Somebody had to take down the heroes but neither wanted to fight a man filled with fury or a teenager full of guilty anger.

“I guess it works,” Frigid whispered.

“Fight, fight, fight…”

Three did the only thing he could think to do. He began chanting and Frigid quickly joined in.

Batman and Robin, standing only six and a half feet apart, were glowering at each other. The Caped Crusader lifted his arms first and the Boy Wonder immediately imitated the action.

“I know all of your moves, I trained you,” Batman scoffed, infuriated that the young teenager was actually thinking about fighting him.

“And I know all of your moves, I’ve trained against you!” Robin replied defiantly.

“You need a lesson,” Batman growled.

“And you’re going to teach it, right?” Robin retorted sarcastically. “Maybe it’s _my_ turn to be the teacher.”

“You think _you_ can actually teach _me_ something? You’re a teenager, barely. I have years of experience and muscular power on my side.”

“I have creativity and athleticism on my side,” the Boy Wonder countered. “How many back handsprings can you do in a row?” He paused for two seconds then continued, “Oh, that’s right: NONE!”

“And exactly how many times have you escaped from Joker by yourself? You’ve been captured by him eight times and I had to rescue you EVERY TIME!”

Robin was stunned into silence for the second time. Batman was keeping track of how often he was kidnapped or captured?! Eight by Joker alone?! What about Two-Face and Catwoman and Riddler and Penguin and who knows how many other villains?!

The silence lingered and Robin’s glare darkened.

“Do you have a tally board or something?” he growled, his voice filled with rage. 

“In my head,” Batman growled back. “And the winning tallies on my side outnumber yours by a lot. At least when I get captured, I can escape.”

“I’ve escaped by myself before!” Robin yelled defensively. “I can handle myself!”

“Obviously,” Batman snapped, the word full of uncharacteristic sarcasm again. “Which is why Joker’s record is 8-0 against you. And Riddler’s got you at 5-1, Penguin 4-2, and Two-Face 3-1. But you’re tied with Catwoman 2-2. At least you can escape from a _woman_ half the time! You’re right, you can obviously handle yourself.”

“SHUT UP!” Robin roared and swung his right fist toward his partner’s face.


	4. Chapter 4

The punch was easily blocked and Batman countered with a right hook. Robin ducked then quickly jumped over the follow-up leg sweep. The Caped Crusader, however, was fast and his left fist drove into the stomach of the Boy Wonder while he was in mid-air. The hit folded the teenager in half and threw him six feet away, where he landed on his back. Batman advanced but Robin had already rolled backwards and popped up to his feet.

The man faked a left hook but the boy wasn’t fooled. Instead of leaning away from the punch, Robin dove down and slammed his right shoulder into his partner’s knees. There was a slight ‘pop’ and Batman grunted in pain. He stumbled back and the Boy Wonder used his momentum to flip forward and throw a punishing kick at the man’s jaw.

Batman’s head snapped over his left shoulder but he was quick enough to grab Robin’s left ankle with his right hand. The older hero used the younger’s momentum against him this time and powerfully slammed him onto the ground. There was a loud ‘crack’ and Robin didn’t immediately pop back up. Instead, he lay panting on the hard dirt, his eyes full of pain and a little bit of fear.

“Still think you can teach me something?” Batman snarled as he stood over the small body of his young partner.

“May, uh, be,” Robin whispered. He placed the palms of his hands on the ground by his sides and lifted his legs. Before Batman realized what was happening, the teenager bent his knees, pushed off his hands and thrust both feet into the muscular chest of the man.

Batman stumbled back again and Robin landed on his feet. But it had taken a lot out of him and he was gasping for air. Blood was streaming down his left arm and he placed his right arm across his ribcage. One was broken, he could feel it, and it hurt to breathe. Briefly, Robin wondered why he was fighting his _partner_ but the thought was pushed away when the angry face of Batman appeared in front of him.

Robin wasn’t ready for it; he hadn’t been paying attention. The Caped Crusader grabbed the bloody left bicep of the Boy Wonder and squeezed, hard. Robin bit his lip to hold back a scream and punched his partner in the solar plexus as hard as he could. Batman’s grip tightened and the younger crime-fighter dropped to his knees. Colors danced in front of him and he thought about giving in to the pain.

A large fist connected with the left side of his face and Robin’s chin was whipped over his shoulder. Batman released the bloody arm and Robin dropped limply to the ground. He was on his back again and staring up at the blurry blob that was his partner. The man was looming over him and ready to finish the job.

_Run. Get up and run. Now._

Somehow, the teenager found the energy to roll left as Batman’s left hand descended toward his head. Fear, pain and panic filled Robin’s body and he forced himself up to his feet. Without any hesitation, the Boy Wonder turned and ran. Adrenaline fueled his flight as he raced north toward the darkness of the trees.

“That’s right, kid, run! No matter where you go, I’ll find you!”

Batman took off after his partner, the fury in his body rising to impossible heights. The boy was not going to escape, even if Batman had to kill him to stop that from happening.

* * *

King Tut, in the darkness on the north side of the small forest of trees, had been listening in amazement as the Dynamic Duo yelled at each other. How this had come about he didn’t know but it would make capturing them easier. Especially since he could hear the light but frantic footsteps of the Bat-brat heading his way.

* * *

Mr. Freeze, in the darkness on the south side of the small forest, was frowning in anger. The only plausible reason for the heroes to be fighting was that they had been hit by his anti-hero freeze ray. But that was impossible; it was in a warehouse on Juniper Street with his trusty, muscular henchman.

The heavy footsteps of the Caped Crusader were fading away from his position and the villain growled in irritation. It was going to be much harder to capture them now.

* * *

The darkness of the forest became darker as an unusual shape came into Robin’s view. He immediately identified it – a spider web. Several lighter shadows moved minutely and the Boy Wonder, at the last second, veered south. There was a shout of surprise and the teenager, recognizing Batman’s voice, allowed a pain-filled grin to flash across his face.

The expression instantly faded fifteen seconds later, when he felt the familiar iciness of a freeze ray hit his body. He couldn’t move; all he could do was watch as the white suit and cold eyes of Mr. Freeze appeared in front of him.

“Take him,” the villain whispered to the darkness around him. “I’ll wait for Batman here.”

Two goons suddenly materialized out of nowhere and Robin felt himself being lifted. The pain was fading as his body was becoming numb and he was grateful. He was also worried, however, because he was probably 1-3 or 2-5 or whatever number it was against this particular villain.

_Why was I…what happened?_

The Boy Wonder’s thoughts shifted as his mind came out of the fuzziness that had been caused by the anti-hero ray. He had just fought his partner! He had lost, badly, and he wondered why he had been attempting to retaliate against everything Batman had thrown at him. Now he was captured and needed help. Again. All because he had been stupid enough to attack _Batman_.

* * *

Robin was fast, Batman realized, even when he was very injured. He had known that and still he had given the boy a slight head start. Shaking his head at his stupidity, Batman picked up his pace. The motion tossed the thoughts around in his mind and he remembered that he had been fighting, and even thinking about _killing_ , his partner! What had made him do that?! The Boy Wonder was quick and athletic but those abilities couldn’t overcome strength and power. Why had he, _Batman_ , been attacking his own partner?!

The small shadow ahead of him suddenly swerved left. Batman wasn’t quick enough to follow and he ran smack into something sticky. He immediately recognized the feeling – a spider web. The large shape of King Tut came into view and a small perfume bottle was raised in front of his face.

_Run Robin._

His last thought was about his partner as a cloud of pink surrounded him. He held his breath as long as he could but the spray refused to dissipate and Batman was forced to follow a swarm of black bees into a purple hole as his body went limp.

* * *

Both Mr. Freeze and King Tut waited a long ten minutes before finally giving up.

King Tut was ecstatic – he had Batman! – but also frustrated. He couldn’t use the man as bait unless he wanted to forfeit Freeze’s ingenious weapon. And he definitely didn’t want to do that.

Mr. Freeze, on the other hand, was furious. He had the sidekick but couldn’t use him to capture Batman! And, somehow, someone had used his newest weapon against the Dynamic Duo in the park. That was the only credible explanation for the recent actions of the hero and his sidekick. At least he knew it worked. However, _he_ wouldn’t be able to use it unless he found a way to capture the Caped Crusader before King Tut but without using Robin as bait.

A thought entered his mind and some of the fury faded. He still had the prototype; it didn’t matter if the completed weapon was destroyed. Grinning slightly, Mr. Freeze decided to use the boy in order to get the man. It was breaking the rules but he was a villain. How often do villains obey the rules?

Chuckling softly, Mr. Freeze headed for his hideout, already forming a plan to capture Batman through Robin.

* * *

“What do we do now?” Frigid asked. He and Three were sitting in the old car they had used to get to the park. The anti-hero ray was in the back seat, still warm from its encounter with the Dynamic Duo.

“I don’t know, go back to our bosses’ hideouts?”

“If Mr. Freeze sees me he’s going to kill me! He’s going to know that we used the anti-hero weapon.”

“Maybe they weren’t even there,” Three replied. “Maybe they left when the other guys ran out of the store.”

“Maybe.”

Frigid wasn’t convinced. He thought for a moment then snapped his fingers.

“I’ve got an idea. We go back to the hideouts and say that we fought about the freeze ray. I’ll hide the weapon in the trunk and tell Mr. Freeze you took it. You tell King Tut that I took it. That way we’ll know what’s going on without getting in trouble.”

“Do you actually think they’ll believe us?” Three asked skeptically. “We don’t even look like we’ve been in a fight.”

“Punch me,” Frigid demanded. “Right in the jaw, but not too hard. Just enough to leave a bruise. Then I’ll do the same to you.”

Three glared at the other man. “How do I know you won’t try to take me down?”

Rolling his eyes, Frigid stated, “I won’t. You’ll just have to take my word, I guess.”

“You punch first.”

“How do I know _you_ won’t try to take _me_ out?”

“At the same time,” Three growled. “On the count of two.”

Shrugging in agreement, Frigid prepared his large fist and watched Three do the same.

“One, two!”

Both men swung and both barely resisted the urge to block the other’s punch. Two heads snapped over shoulders and then two pairs of eyes glared at each other.

“I said not too hard,” Frigid mumbled painfully. The bruise on his jaw was already turning purple and it hurt to talk.

“Back at you,” Three countered, holding a hand to his already swollen cheek.

Frigid opened his door, got out of the car and grabbed the anti-hero ray from the back seat. Walking around to the trunk, he opened it and carefully placed the weapon in its case.

“Where do you want me to drop you off?” Mr. Freeze’s goon asked when he returned to the driver’s seat.

“We need to go back to Juniper Street. King Tut will be suspicious if I don’t come back with his carriage.”

Rolling his eyes again, Frigid nodded and pulled away in the direction of Juniper Street.

“By the way, there’s a payphone by our current hideout,” Three mentioned. “If we’re going to work together, we need to communicate.”

He pulled a paper and pencil out of his pocket and ripped it in half. Then he wrote down a number on one half and waited expectantly with the pencil poised over the other half.

“Lucky for us there’s one by our igloo,” Frigid replied and gave his new partner the number. “Now we can communicate.”

Frigid glanced over, grinned and received a quiet chuckle in return.

“It’s our turn,” Three whispered. “No more henchmen; we’re about to be the bosses!” 

* * *

**King Tut’s mobile palace – 88 minutes later:**

Batman woke up slowly with a pounding headache, an aching chest, a slightly swollen jaw and a sore right knee. He was on his back and chained to some sort of flat surface. The chains were wrapped around his entire body and he was completely immobile, except for his head. 

His neck protested the movement but the Caped Crusader lifted his head and looked around. Groaning softly, he realized that he was on a low table in the “throne room” of King Tut. The villain was directly in front of him, sitting on his golden throne and grinning with delight.

“Where’s…Robin?” Batman asked. Talking was painful but he needed to find out if his partner was okay.

The smile on King Tut’s face disappeared and was replaced with a frown of disappointment.

“Your bratty sidekick got away,” the villain grumbled and this time it was Batman who grinned, albeit only slightly.

“But don’t worry, I’ll capture him soon enough. And then I will have Mr. Freeze’s latest invention and I will use it to rule both of you. You will be at my beck and call; you will worship me and serve me and your reason for living will be me!”

“I highly doubt that you felonious, fake Pharaoh,” Batman replied calmly. “You’ll never find Robin and I can withstand anything you do to me.”

“We’ll see,” King Tut stated arrogantly. “The Bat-brat will come for you and I will have the Dynamic Dunderheads in my control.”

“What does this weapon do?”

Batman abruptly switched topics, catching the villain by surprise. King Tut recovered quickly and declined to answer, turning his head away and admiring the rings on his left hand.

“It’s an anti-hero ray thing!” Two suddenly shouted.

“Shut up, idiot!” the faux Pharaoh shouted, frowning as he glanced at his henchman. Two pressed his lips together and shrank away from his boss’s glare.

It made sense now. Somehow he and Robin had been hit with an anti-hero weapon in the park. They had fought against each other like criminals and memories of their conversation danced around in Batman’s brain. He had boasted about the tally board and Robin’s unfortunate records against various villains; he had told his young partner that everything was always the teen’s fault and that the boy never did anything right; he had basically called Robin an idiot and he remembered seeing shock in a pair of wide, blue eyes. That emotion had been accompanied by fury, humiliation and pain.

_Don’t come for me, Robin._

* * *

**Mr. Freeze’s arctic hideout:**

The first thing Robin felt when he opened his eyes was pain in his left arm. Then came the ache in his back, a light pulse in his ankle, the distinctive sharpness of a broken rib and a swollen cheekbone that was probably going to grow into a black eye. Sighing softly, the Boy Wonder tried to sit up in order to figure out why his arm was throbbing but he couldn’t move. That was weird – he didn’t feel the metal of chains or the scratchiness of rope or the pinching of handcuffs or any other type of restraints. Instead of figuring it out, Robin decided to go back to sleep. It was so cold and keeping his eyes open was a battle that he didn’t feel like fighting.

However, he realized that he needed to assess his situation – find out where he was and figure out what had happened. So, Robin forced his eyelashes off his cheeks and opened his eyes halfway. The yellow light above him was soft and it didn’t take long for his eyes to adjust to the difference. He was laying on his back on something cold and solid, probably a table or a mattress-less bed or cement or tile. His entire Robin-suit was intact, including his utility belt. Gloves, boots, mask – nothing was missing and that was very unusual. Especially since the utility belt was usually the first thing a villain took after capturing him.

A loud noise attacked his senses and he was able to turn his head over his right shoulder as he fully opened his eyes. The recognizable features of Mr. Freeze suddenly appeared before him. Now Robin knew why he was almost freezing – he was in the villain’s headquarters and the man kept the temperature at fifty degrees below zero. But why wasn’t he dead? Normal people can’t survive at that temperature!

“You look confused,” Mr. Freeze stated. “Are you wondering how you are still alive? Your cell is at a toasty nineteen degrees and your body has adapted to it while you were unconscious. Now, however, you will begin to feel the pain of being in a temperature that is not conducive to your health. For me, it is heat. For you, it is cold.”

The man was right. Robin could feel his body begin to shiver and his joints begin to ache. His left arm was throbbing horribly, his entire ribcage was now sore and he could feel bruises beginning to blossom on his torso. And, he realized, he had been wrong about his clothing – his cape was missing. That thought immediately fled, as did the knowledge that he still had his utility belt, when a violent shiver shot down his entire body.

The Boy Wonder knew he had to move around if he wanted to stay alive. So, he pushed himself to sitting and immediately grabbed his pounding head with both hands. He swayed slightly and shut his eyes again to block out the sight of the world spinning around him.

“Tired yet?” the villain sneered and Robin opened his eyes. Lifting his head, which he didn’t realize he had dropped, he glared defiantly at his captor. 

“I’m actually feeling wide awake. Thanks for asking. Do you have anything to eat? I’m sort of hungry. Growing boy and all that, you know.”

The teen smirked and the villain frowned. Robin took a quick glance around: he was on a frozen floor in an approximately eight by eight cell with nothing inside except himself.

“Where, by the way, is Batman?” the Boy Wonder continued, surprised that he could speak without his teeth chattering. “I think something…everything’s a little fuzzy right now.”

“Well, from what I could hear, you attacked him,” Mr. Freeze replied. “He obviously won; you look like you took a good beating.”

Robin frowned. The man had to be lying. Why would he attack his partner?

“I’m off to find your more capable counterpart,” the villain continued. “Chilly,” he pointed to the tall, thin man that had just entered the room, “is going to keep you company.”

He turned toward the door and then paused. Looking back at the Boy Wonder, and with a wicked grin on his face, he said, “Try to stay awake until I come back.”

“Uh, Boss?” Chilly whispered when Mr. Freeze was close enough to hear.

Rolling his eyes, the villain stared at his goon expectantly.

“What if, um, what if he gets out?” the henchman asked with wide eyes.

“He won’t, idiot. The bars are too close for even his small body to slip through. Look at him, he can barely stay sitting up.”

“But…”

Mr. Freeze held up his hand, stomped over to the table and returned to Chilly with a large remote.

“This,” the villain pointed to a bright red button on the top, “controls the temperature of just his cell. If he looks like he’s about to escape, lower it to twelve degrees and, if he’s still attempting to get away, go to seven. Got it?”

Chilly nodded with a small grin. The remote was shoved into his hands and his boss strode out the door without looking back. 

“He thinks you’re an idiot,” Robin stated matter-of-factly. The Boy Wonder knew that if he went to sleep there was a very real possibility of not waking up. He needed a way to escape; trying to turn the henchman against his boss was a good place to start.

“Shut up, kid.”

Robin stood up and slowly began pacing, attempting to keep his blood flowing and his thoughts clear. Everything hurt, from the pounding headache to the arm with the streak of frozen blood to the obviously broken rib to the heavy ache in the middle of his back. Feeling was returning to his limbs and icy needles were attacking his nerves. But this was better than being dead.

“Do _you_ know what happened to Batman?” Robin inquired amiably, hoping to somehow get himself on Chilly’s good side.

“We missed him,” the goon replied. “We waited after we caught _you_ but he never came. Guess he didn’t care that you were gone,” he finished with a nasty smile.

“Or maybe he waited for you to give up, followed you here and is going to attack at any moment,” the Boy Wonder commented indifferently while shrugging his shoulders.

Chilly’s eyes widened with fear and he began searching the few dark spaces that existed in the room.

“Anticipation,” Robin mused. “It’s almost harder to deal with than the actual beating you’ll be receiving soon.”

Glaring at the boy, the henchman sneered, “You would know, you got beat bad.”

“I ‘got beat bad’. Hmmm…that’s an interesting phrase. I don’t see any blood, I’m able to walk, I have no trouble talking and you need to work on your grammar.”

“There’s dried blood on your arm, your breathing is off, your face is going to be purple soon and I don’t need grammar to be a good criminal,” Chilly retorted.

“So you want to be just a ‘good’ criminal? Well, I was definitely wrong about you.”

Turning away from the man, Robin walked to the opposite side of his cage and squeezed his eyes shut in an attempt to block out the pain. He gently probed his ribs with his right hand – one was definitely broken but the others were probably just bruised. It did hurt to breathe but he wasn’t going to show any weakness to his opponent.

“Just a good…what do you mean you were wrong?”

His eyes flipped open and the Boy Wonder gathered his strength. Forcing a laugh out of his mouth, Robin faced the goon again and folded his arms across his chest.

“Mr. Freeze doesn’t keep ‘good’ criminals around. I’d be worried if I were you. When he comes back and finds out that you’re useless, well…” Robin trailed off ominously.

“I’m not useless!” Chilly yelled. “I’m keeping you in line, aren’t I?”

“An untrained monkey could keep me ‘in line’ right now, since I’m basically in a cage.” Robin shrugged again, this time with a smirk.

Chilly’s face grew red as anger filled his body. The sidekick was comparing _him_ to a monkey! An untrained one at that!

“You’re going to regret saying that,” he snarled but the smirk stayed on Robin’s face.

“I doubt it,” the teenager replied. “I’m in here and you’re out there. It’s not like we can fight about this using more than just words. Unless you open the door, which you probably won’t because you look scared. But, if you do, we can find out who will regret what.” The words and tone were taunting and Chilly growled.

An angry thumb suddenly shoved down the red button and the henchman grinned. Robin’s breath caught in his throat and he gasped when the temperature abruptly dropped. He wanted to fall to the ground, he was so tired, but he backed up and leaned against the cold bars of the cage instead.

“Regret it yet?” Chilly snarled.

It felt like a chunk of ice was lodged in his throat. But Robin knew he had to get this man to open the door; it was his only choice.

“Nope,” he managed to whisper as he wrapped his arms around himself. He had known they were going after Mr. Freeze and had worn his Special Thermal V Long Underwear but, unlike Batman, he didn’t have an anti-freeze uniform yet. Twelve degrees made him feel like he was standing in a frozen lake, not moving.

“You’re never going to be more than a ‘good’ criminal,” the Boy Wonder continued quietly. “In fact, you’re not even ‘good’ yet!” He choked on the last word but managed to turn it into a hoarse chuckle.

Chilly pushed the red button again and Robin dropped to his knees. He couldn’t move, he couldn’t even _breathe_. The teenager closed his eyes and attempted to take some deep breaths. Black dots were dancing with silver swirls and his lungs refused to inhale the frozen oxygen.

There was a loud ‘clang’ and Robin managed to open his weary eyes. Lifting his head took a lot of effort but he internally smirked when he saw the door to his cage wide open. It had worked. He probably wasn’t going to be able to get out, but taunting the idiotic henchman had worked.

His world became crooked and cotton balls began filling his mind. The Boy Wonder tilted sideways, landing hard on his right side. Through hazy vision, he watched a pair of long, black tennis shoes walk toward him.

Robin felt himself being lifted; Chilly had grabbed his left arm and was dragging the boy out of the cage.

“ _Now_ you’re going to regret it,” was the last thing Robin heard before diving into the frozen water and losing consciousness. 


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the compliment, Lizzy164.1!

**King Tut’s mobile palace:**

“Why are we just sitting here?” Two asked, annoyed with his boss. They had a helpless Batman in their clutches and they weren’t doing anything about it!

“Quiet, imbecile,” King Tut retorted. “I’m trying to think of a plan. I cannot use Batman,” he waved his hand in the direction of the tightly restrained crime-fighter, “as bait. So, the boy is not allowed to know that I have him. I must get him to come to us on his own. But how…?”

“He’s not stupid,” Batman stated firmly. “He’s not going to fall for one of your tricks.”

“You practically called him stupid when you were fighting in the park,” the villain countered. “He’s probably wandering around back there, searching for you and wondering what’s wrong and trying to figure out how to fix it. I almost caught him but, obviously, he noticed the tricky trap I had set up for both of you. You, on the other hand, weren’t so lucky. How did your bratty sidekick see it and not you?”

Batman, although he knew the answer, refused to say anything. He had been focused on the path Robin had been taking. When his athletic partner had abruptly gone left, the less-athletic Batman hadn’t been able to turn as quickly. Therefore, he had run straight into King Tut’s trap. At least Robin was safe from the felonious Pharaoh.

“You dare decline to answer a direct inquiry from your _king_!” the villain shouted. “One, teach him some manners!”

The beefy henchman strode over to the immobile Caped Crusader, raised his right fist and punched him square in the jaw. Batman flinched slightly, it was the same side that Robin had kicked earlier, but was able to keep his expression neutral.

King Tut rolled his eyes and stated, “One here will keep you company. I’m going hunting for birds, specifically one with a red breast and golden wings.”

Narrowing his eyes, Batman growled, “If you do _anything_ to Robin you will have to answer to me.”

“I thought you said I would never find him,” the villain grinned arrogantly. “Now you don’t seem so sure. Don’t worry; I’ll bring him back in one piece so you can watch him die in person.”

With a wave of his royal hand and a sweep of his royal robes, King Tut turned around and strode out the door without looking back.

Batman struggled against the chains. He would not allow Robin to face the wrath of this villain, especially when he knew that King Tut had no qualms about killing the teenager.

“It’s useless,” One stated. “The chains are too tight. You might as well stop trying.”

“I will _never_ stop trying,” Batman growled. “Release me and I’ll let the commissioner know that you cooperated. That will be taken into consideration at your trial.”

One began laughing loudly. “I’ll let you go when the kid is here and my boss uses the anti-hero ray on you. You’re the one that’s going to kill him because I’m pretty sure he won’t fight back unless he, too, gets a shot from the weapon. But then you’ll still win anyway because you’re much stronger than the scrawny sidekick. He got in some good shots on you but, from the way he was running and the sound of his breathing, you got in some better ones.”

“It won’t work, King Tut won’t find him. Give yourself up now; it will be better for you in the end.”

Rolling his eyes, the henchman declared, “No way! I want to watch you beat your sidekick to a pulp!”

An image of a broken Boy Wonder on the floor with a criminally-minded Batman standing over him jumped into the Caped Crusader’s head. If his partner was here when the weapon was turned on, Batman was going to yell at him to run. Robin probably wouldn’t, he was as loyal as he was athletic, but giving the command in advance would be better than nothing.

* * *

**Mr. Freeze’s arctic hideout:**

“Wake up already,” Chilly demanded crossly.

It had been almost an hour since the kid had passed out and the henchman was itching to fight. They were in a warmer section of the hideout and Chilly had assumed that Robin would warm up, and therefore wake up, quickly. The goon was ready to pay the sidekick back for all the insults but the boy was refusing to return to consciousness.

* * *

It hurt to breathe but at least he was doing it. Jagged pieces of ice seemed to dig into his lungs every time he took a breath. Cold air was punishing his throat with each inhale and exhale. But Robin was alive.

His limbs were thawing out but the Boy Wonder decided to feign unconsciousness for a few more minutes. He needed to be able to stand in order to escape. That wouldn’t be possible if any part of him was numb.

That decision was taken away when a hard kick to his already injured ribcage tore a gasp of air from Robin’s throat and his eyes popped open. His vision was slightly blurry and his entire body was shivering. A pair of hands grabbed the teenager’s upper arms and he was roughly pulled to his feet. Rainbows danced across the gray mist in front of him as the frozen blood on his left bicep cracked, allowing fresh rivulets of red to begin snaking down his arm. 

“Time to pay for your snappy comments,” Chilly growled, digging his right thumb into the wound on Robin’s arm. He abruptly shoved the Boy Wonder away and took up a defensive stance.

Robin yelped in pain, stumbled back and would have fallen down if he hadn’t hit the wall. The jarring pain that assaulted his aching torso when his back slammed into the cold cement immediately cleared his vision. He shook his head, attempting to sweep away the cotton balls that still littered his brain. Pay, snappy comments, growling – the clues connected and Robin realized that the goon wanted to fight.

“Give me a minute,” the Boy Wonder whispered as he pushed his right hand against the bloody wound. “Poor and fair criminals attack when their opponent isn’t ready. And I remember that you want to be a ‘good’ criminal. So,” he wheezed slightly, “give me a minute.”

Chilly narrowed his eyes but relaxed his body. Mr. Freeze wouldn’t be impressed if his henchman beat up a kid who was already on the verge of passing out. Taking down Robin at mostly full strength, however, would impress his boss. So, stupidly, Chilly decided to wait.

Two minutes went by and the goon was becoming impatient. Robin was just leaning against the wall, not moving. Actually, he was still shivering slightly but that was beside the point.

“Come on!” Chilly suddenly yelled. “Aren’t you supposed to be a superhero? It shouldn’t take this long for you to…”

“Superhero?” Robin interrupted incredulously. “No, I don’t have any super powers. I’m just a plain, ordinary, everyday crime-fighter.” 

Smirking at Batman’s words, the Boy Wonder pushed off the wall and slowly pulled his hand off the injury, grateful that he had been able to stop the bleeding. His feet and legs were no longer numb and he began stretching the limbs and rolling the ankles. The right arm was also fine and he could fight with one arm. This goon was tall but not muscular and the teenager knew his chances of winning were good. If he could get his left arm to participate, there would be no question as to the outcome.

Chilly’s body tensed up and he brought his fists in front of him. Robin began lightly bouncing on his toes, testing the strength of his legs and searching for the henchman’s weakness. Quickly identifying the flaw – the man was already showing off his sloppiness in his stance and the way he held his arms – Robin grinned.

They were about ten feet apart. Chilly moved right, came back left and leaned right again. Carefully watching the man’s movements, the teenager tested his back and was disappointed to discover that arching it caused brilliant fireworks to light up the room. No acrobatic tricks for this fight, then. Robin shrugged; he could beat this guy without being tricky.

Chilly finally decided to go on the offensive. Rushing at the Boy Wonder, he began wildly throwing his fists in the direction of the teen’s torso. Shaking his head, Robin stepped right, allowing the man to fly past him and into the wall.

There was a loud ‘crack’ when Chilly’s right shoulder connected with the cement and he cried out in pain. Robin was already backing away toward the exit, smirking at the man’s obvious incompetence. 

A sharp boot suddenly slammed into the teenager’s back, shoving him forward and knocking him to the ground. He landed flat on his stomach and gasped for the air that refused to enter his lungs.

“I had him,” the man in front of Robin declared angrily.

“So I see,” came a deeper voice from behind the Boy Wonder.

“Hey, why aren’t you at that warehouse with King Tut’s guy and that anti-hero weapon?!” Chilly loudly demanded. There was a short pause, followed by a chuckle of derision.

“Nice bruise. The guy beat you and took the weapon, didn’t he?” 

Frigid growled; he hadn’t expected one of the other henchmen to figure out his “excuse” for not having the anti-hero freeze ray. Stepping over the young crime-fighter, who was now attempting to get up, the muscular goon loomed over Chilly with a glare.

“Tell me what happened here,” he waved around the icy hideout, “and I’ll tell you what I know.”

Chilly, who was not the most intelligent henchman, quickly obliged. The story spilled out, from the moment he had entered the jewelry store to the moment he had plowed into the wall. He was sure that Batman wasn’t here for two reasons: they hadn’t captured him and the Caped Crusader probably would have stepped into the fray when Chilly had dragged Robin to the warmer area of the room.

“Your turn,” Chilly demanded and Frigid replied with a swift punch to the head that immediately rendered the other goon unconscious.

Robin had managed to get to his feet while Chilly had been talking. With an arm wrapped around his torso, he silently began backing away while keeping his eyes on the henchmen. He hated running from a fight but he needed to find Batman.

Small, slightly-fuzzy memories of the previous events in Gotham Central Park had suddenly connected like a puzzle when he had heard the words “anti-hero weapon”. There had been a lot of blue, the sizzling of a sausage and a fight, both verbal and physical. The Boy Wonder needed to apologize but, in order to do that, he needed to find his way out of this freezing place.

He had just backed out the door when he was stopped by something solid. It was human, Robin could tell by the quiet but distinctive sound of clothes whispering as they slid across each other. Not waiting for an attack, he spun around and swung his right fist as hard as he could. Instead of soft flesh and greasy hair, his hand hit an unyielding, cryogenic helmet. The bones in his hands crunched together, bending but, luckily, not breaking.

The hit snapped a ligament in Robin’s wrist, however, which was immediately grabbed by the icy hand of the villain himself. Roughly twisting the joint, Mr. Freeze brought the Boy Wonder to his knees, the pain overpowering his will to remain upright.

Frigid was suddenly behind the teenager and he shoved a foot into Robin’s back again. The fourteen-year-old automatically arched, the room began spinning and different colored rockets blasted through his mind. Three seconds later the villain dropped the slim wrist and the Boy Wonder slumped to the ground, limp but not yet unconscious.

“Trying to escape was stupid, sidekick,” Mr. Freeze snarled. “Chilly is lucky that Frigid arrived when he did and Frigid,” he glared at the muscular henchman, “is lucky that _I_ arrived when I did.”

“I will find a way,” Robin mumbled out of the left side of his mouth. His right cheek was resting on the frozen floor and his blue eyes were fluttering dangerously.

“Not if you freeze to death,” the villain retorted.

Nodding to his strong henchman, Mr. Freeze grabbed the forgotten remote that Chilly had placed on the table before dragging Robin out of the cage. He made a warm path from the teenager’s current position on the floor to the cell in the middle of the room.

Grabbing the left arm that was lightly bleeding again, Frigid dragged the young crime-fighter back to the cage and tossed him inside. The area where Robin had taunted the unconscious henchman had been thirty-seven degrees. Cold but survivable, even without an anti-freeze uniform. The cage, however, was still at seven and the abrupt change in temperature made Robin feel like his chest was a heavy ball of ice and his throat was frozen solid. He couldn’t breathe again and things were going in and out of focus.

“St…aw…ke,” he mumbled with a small gasp of air, attempting to prevent his body from going into shock.

“Just relax and go to sleep,” Mr. Freeze commanded gently. “My goons won’t hurt you anymore. Close your little blue eyes and go to sleep.”

“Rob…bir…J…is…ing…for you.”

The Boy Wonder began stumbling through the lyrics of Joker’s favorite song in a soft voice.

“I…ali…stole…aw…Jo’er is…you.”

An image of the crazy, green-haired villain presented itself and Robin’s eyes opened wide with trepidation. That picture, he knew, would keep him awake for at least a little while.

The nearly invisible hazel eyes of Mr. Freeze rolled in irritation. Apparently the caged bird was going to attempt to stay awake by _singing_. Not that the villain would call that singing. It sounded more like a groaning attempt at shrieking and he knew he was going to quickly get tired of the noise.

“You won’t last long,” the villain stated with a shrug. “Sing all you want, baby Bat. Eventually you’ll fall asleep.”

“…Jo’er…com…you.”

The mumbled words were the last things Mr. Freeze heard from Robin as he turned toward the door. A thought entered his mind and, just before walking out, he looked back at Frigid.

“Why are you here without the weapon?” he demanded in a low, dangerous voice.

Touching his swollen jaw, the henchman replied, “We fought and he…won.”

The last word was timid and full of regret. Frigid grinned in his mind – he was a pretty good actor. The look on Mr. Freeze’s face was priceless: rage mixed with surprise.

“I thought you were strong and intelligent,” the villain growled. “Obviously, I was wrong. Find that man, take care of him this time and bring me the anti-hero freeze ray. You won’t like what happens if you come back empty-handed.”

Nodding shamefully, Frigid dropped his head and scuffed the ground with his shoe.

“Are you waiting for an invitation?!” Mr. Freeze shouted. “Go!”

Frigid quickly shuffled around his boss and out the door. There was a loud sigh from the man behind him and, as he rounded the corner and disappeared from sight, the henchman grinned. He quickly strode down the hall toward the exit – he had some very interesting news for his counterpart.

* * *

**King Tut’s mobile palace:**

Three sauntered quietly into the empty throne room of King Tut. Nearly empty, he realized, when he saw a sleeping henchman and a struggling Batman. So, his boss had one but couldn’t use him as bait to capture the other one. He grinned; what a dilemma.

Batman heard the quiet footsteps and tried to turn his head backwards. It wouldn’t twist that way so the henchman obliged the hero and walked into his line of view.

“Where is Robin?” Batman growled and Three shrugged. “If you’re lying…” he trailed off, the threat obvious in his tone.

“I really don’t know,” the henchman replied. “But I do know that you beat him up. So bad that he actually _ran away_ from you!” he taunted quietly.

“You,” the Caped Crusader snarled. “You had the weapon and you used it on us. None of this is his fault; it was you and that other man from Mr. Freeze!”

“That’s not what you told him,” Three stated nonchalantly. “You straight out said that everything is always his fault, and that you regret making him your sidekick. The expression on his face was priceless: shock and pain. And I’ll never forget the panic that was in his eyes when you stood over him, aiming a heavy fist at his head.”

Batman squeezed his eyes shut in frustration but that only brought the described image into his head. He had hurt his partner, both physically and emotionally. The thought made him open his eyes and resume his struggling. Three began laughing.

Startled by the loud noise, One opened his eyes. Three was talking to Batman; the muscular man could keep the hero in line. Shutting his eyes, One went back to sleep.

“Looks like they chained you up pretty well,” Three said as his laughter died down. “Do you know where the almighty Pharaoh is?”

The question was laced with sarcasm and Batman saw an opportunity.

“No, but I don’t think you really care,” the hero replied calmly. “Do you still have the weapon? It’s powerful; _you_ can become the boss if you use it again.”

“Yeah, but I’m not going to tell you where it is.”

His intelligent mind worked through the situation and the slightly swollen cheek didn’t escape his notice. Batman almost smirked but held it back. That was Robin’s trademark.

“The other man took it, didn’t he? Did you lose a fight or did you pretend to have a fight so your respective bosses wouldn’t suspect anything?”

Three’s jaw dropped in shock and Batman knew the answer to his question. So, they were trying to stage a coup, by themselves. But they had a powerful weapon to back them up and the Caped Crusader wouldn’t be surprised if it worked, for a day or so, anyway. The villains would figure it out and work together to bring down the two traitors. But having an anti-hero crime-fighter – whether it was Batman, Robin or both – would give the henchmen a clear advantage. 

“Three, my strongest servant, what are you doing here without the weapon?!”

King Tut’s booming voice echoed around the room as he entered. One, again startled by the loud noise, recognized the voice and jumped to his feet. Three, meanwhile, rolled his eyes at Batman with a half-grin before turning to face his boss.

“We fought, your Majesty,” Three stated, regret filling his voice.

“You LOST?!” the faux Pharaoh cried indignantly. “How could you lose with such a precious object as the prize?!”

Carefully touching his swollen cheek, the goon replied, “He’s got a good punch, your kingly Kingship.”

“Get out,” King Tut demanded, “and don’t come back until you have the weapon.”

“What about Robin?” Three dared to ask. “I’m not supposed to bring you the anti-hero ray unless you have both of them. Otherwise, you lose it anyway.”

“It is not your place to question me but I will deign to answer your inquiry. I have set a trap, back at Gotham Central Park. It is the last place the Bat-brat saw his partner so I’m sure he’ll return there to search for clues. Two is waiting with some good-sized stones and the knockout gas.”

“You’re going to…” Three was so surprised that he couldn’t complete the question.

“Yes, Two is going to pelt him with stones until he’s down. The gas will finish the job. Now get out and find my weapon! I don’t care if you have to go all the way back to Juniper Street, just track the fool down and bring me my _weapon_!”

With a rapid bow, Three turned around and raced out the door. Immediately slowing down as soon as he was out of sight, the henchman grinned. He had some interesting news for his counterpart.

Back in the throne room, Batman confidently stated, “He’s fast and athletic. Your goon won’t be able to get the upper hand by throwing rocks.”

“Unless there is a nearly invisible river of oil in the area where you fought him. That is obviously where he will begin searching.”

King Tut grinned and stared at the hero’s face carefully.

Batman kept his face neutral but inside he was uneasy. If the trap worked, he was going to be seeing a limp, heavily bruised Robin dragged in the door. The Boy Wonder _would_ go search for clues; it was only a matter of time.

* * *

**A payphone near Mr. Freeze’s arctic hideout:**

Frigid picked up the phone, inserted a dime and called the number he had been given. Hopefully, his partner would be near the other phone. The man was going to be surprised when Frigid gave him the news about Robin.

The muscular henchman was so engrossed in his thoughts that he failed to notice the swollen left eye of Chilly glaring at him from the shadows.

* * *

**A payphone near King Tut’s mobile palace:**

_Brrrrring._

Three, who had just exited the front door of the palace, raced to the ringing phone across the street and grabbed the receiver.

“Who is this?” he demanded and grinned when the recognizable voice of his partner answered. Three listened carefully to Frigid’s information and his grin grew.

“I also have news,” he declared quietly. “King Tut captured Batman and has set a trap for Robin in Gotham Central Park! Does Mr. Freeze have a plan to catch Batman without using the kid as bait?”

Frigid was speaking quickly on the other end of the line, explaining that nothing had been mentioned. Three was listening so intently that he failed to notice the wide, surprised eyes of the false queen of Egypt staring at him from across the street.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the comments and kudos!
> 
> Disclaimer: about halfway through, there is a plot point mentioned from episode 2x7 in the TV show - "The Spell of Tut". So, the credit for that goes to Robert C. Dennis and Earl Barrett, authors of the script.
> 
> Another disclaimer: near the end there is mention of a plot point from episode 1x8 in the TV show - "Rats Like Cheese". (Why is it even called that?!) So, the credit for that goes to Max Hodge, author of the script.

**Commissioner Gordon’s office:**

“Yes, Bonnie?”

The commissioner answered his intercom in a slightly weary voice. Reports had been coming in all afternoon about a fight that had occurred between the Dynamic Duo in Gotham Central Park. Commissioner Gordon was tired of hearing the same story over and over. All he wanted to do was use the Batphone to call Batman and get this all sorted out. But, so far, it had been impossible; his office phone was ringing practically nonstop.

“Yes, I’ll accept, Bonnie. Patch him through.”

“Good afternoon, comical commissioner!” Mr. Freeze’s harsh voice rang loudly through the phone. Commissioner Gordon squeezed his eyes shut and inaudibly sighed.

“What do you want?” the commissioner demanded as he opened his eyes.

“I have a message for Batman. Put me through to the Batcave.”

“I don’t take orders from you, Mr. Freeze. Give me the message and, if it’s important enough, I’ll pass it along.”

“Oh, I think he’ll find this to be _very_ important. I’ll not ask again. Put me on the Batphone!”

Without saying another word, having heard the warning in the tone of the villain, Commissioner Gordon walked around his desk to the bright-red phone. Lifting the glass cover, he picked up the receiver, pushed the button and pressed the two phones together.

* * *

**The Batcave:**

_BEEP. BEEP. BEEP._

Alfred, who was dusting the Bat-spot Anaylzer, walked across the Batcave to the familiar beeping sound.

“I’m sorry, Commissioner, but I’m afraid Batman is currently unavailable.”

“This is Mr. Freeze. Make him available!”

“I cannot _make_ him available, sir,” Alfred’s words were clipped but delivered in his customary formal tone, “because he is Batman. He decides when he is available and, currently, he is not.”

“Well, tell him he should decide to be available. NOW!”

“There is nothing I can do to rectify this situation, sir,” the butler replied calmly. “As I said before…”

“I have a young boy that he might want to talk to,” the villain interrupted. “There has to be some way you can contact him, some sort of Bat-machine or device that is almost as ingenious as my inventions.”

“I see,” Alfred answered, his voice remaining calm while his heart skipped a beat. Mr. Freeze had Robin! “If you’ll hold for just a moment, I will reach out to him.”

Placing the Batphone on the table, the butler quickly walked to the Bat-transmission receiver machine. He pushed several buttons, turned several knobs and waited.

* * *

**King Tut’s Mobile Palace:**

_Beep. Beep._

“Where is that blasted beeping noise coming from?!” King Tut demanded.

He was relaxing on his throne, being fed grapes by his queen and fanned by her handmaiden. His henchmen all looked around and then shrugged.

Batman, as quickly and discreetly as he could, pushed his right thumb and forefinger in the side pocket of his utility belt. His Bat-communicator was blinking bright red and the hero flipped the switch to turn off the noise and open the line of communication.

“It stopped,” One stated and King Tut rolled his eyes.

“Obviously,” the villain snapped.

He pushed the women away and stood up. Immediately strolling over to the low table that was seven feet in front of him, he loomed over the restrained body of the Caped Crusader and narrowed his eyes.

“Were you beeping?”

Batman stared up at him, his face blank and his eyes emotionless.

“One!” the pretend Pharaoh yelled, his voice commanding.

The henchman rushed over and stomped on Batman’s ribcage. The Caped Crusader flinched and everyone heard a loud ‘crack’. A rib had just been broken, the sound and feeling were recognizable, and Batman almost grimaced.

One kicked this time, on the same side as the broken bone, and the hero inaudibly groaned. Not only was his rib on fire, but his Bat-communicator had just been smashed – his only way to contact anyone was now as broken as the rib.

King Tut, furious and impatient, waved his henchman away and glared down at his captive.

“After I have the baby Bat, you _will_ answer my questions,” he growled.

The villain’s glare was met with a ferocious Bat-glare. “After I escape, you _will_ go to prison,” the hero growled back. “And if you go after Robin, he _will_ put you in Bat-cuffs and hand you over to Warden Crichton himself.”

“Fool,” King Tut laughed loudly. “The Bat-brat can’t take care of himself, you even told him that! What’s his record against _me_?” he asked loudly.

The Caped Crusader didn’t answer but the tally board presented itself in his mind: King Tut had Robin 2-1. His partner would be winning if his utility belt, accidentally loosened by one of the villain’s clumsy henchmen, hadn’t fallen into the mud when he was standing over the crocodile pit.

“I deduce, from your silence, that he’s losing against me, too,” the faux Pharaoh declared triumphantly. “The silly sidekick can’t handle himself against Gotham City’s best villains.”

“He’s only fourteen!” Batman uncharacteristically burst out defensively. Wishing he had kept his mouth shut, he increased the force of his Bat-glare. He had just given the villain a clear advantage over the young hero.

“What a delightful piece of information you have given me,” King Tut grinned wickedly. “Fourteen, such a vulnerable age. This is useful, thank you for being so helpful.”

Turning away from the Caped Crusader, the villain returned to his throne and sat down.

“One, go to Gotham Central Park and check the trap we laid out for the blundering boy.”

The large henchman nodded and raced out the door. Batman, meanwhile, began loudly berating himself in his head. Why had that information popped out? He was _Batman_ ; he never lost his cool, even in dangerous situations!

_Idiot._

* * *

**The Batcave:**

Alfred was slightly frantic. The Bat-transmission receiver machine had caught four words: were you beeping one. There had been a loud cracking sound and then the signal had abruptly disappeared. Returning to the Batphone, Alfred sighed quietly and picked it up.

“I’m sorry, sir, but he is not answering. Perhaps he is on his way to your hideout.” 

The butler slammed the phone down without waiting for an answer then dropped onto the nearest chair and sighed.

_At least, I hope he is…_

* * *

**Mr. Freeze’s arctic hideout:**

“Not answering,” the villain growled as he hung up the phone. “When he gets here, I’ll show him what happens when someone doesn’t answer my call.” 

“Jo…kkkkerrrr…commmmm…”

Robin was still attempting to keep himself awake by singing. But his teeth were chattering and his heart was slowing down. Random thoughts were slamming themselves against each other in his head and he was losing control of his breathing. His cage was still at seven degrees but the rest of the room was much colder, which didn’t help his condition.

“I’m sure your core temperature has reached a chilly eighty-five degrees by now. You are at death’s door, sidekick, and singing won’t bring you back to the land of the living. _SO,_ _SHUT UP_!”

Mr. Freeze, annoyed with the never-ending mumbling sounds, shouted the last sentence but Robin didn’t even flinch. 

Chilly unexpectedly appeared at the door. Mr. Freeze was at his dinner table, basking in the fifty below zero temperature as he ate his baked Alaska.

“Sorry to interrupt, boss, but I have some information,” the henchman said hesitantly. The villain had been extremely upset with him when he had awakened and he didn’t want to risk feeling his boss’s wrath again.

“This better be good,” the frozen felon grumbled. Grabbing the large remote, he made a warm path from the door to the middle of the table.

Quickly covering the twelve foot distance, Chilly glanced at Robin before speaking.

“Frigid just told someone that you have the sidekick, I heard him talking on the phone a few minutes ago. And that person, whoever it was, has Batman!”

Robin heard the word “Batman” and his brain perked up a little. This was going to be important information, if he could hear it. Water was continually flowing in his ears and it was difficult to turn sounds into words.

“ _WHAT?!_ ” the villain roared in shock.

It had to be King Tut, all the other villains had already left Gotham City. He must have captured the older hero at the same time that Mr. Freeze had captured the younger one!

“Where is Frigid now?” he demanded.

“I, uh, I don’t know, Boss. He disappeared right after he finished the phone call.”

“Leave,” the villain commanded and Chilly raced from the room. The path of warmth disappeared and Mr. Freeze turned to glare at Robin.

“I guess he’s not coming for you. Yet. I’ll get him, use my newest invention on him and then watch you die. If you haven’t frozen to death, that is.”

Turning away from Robin, the villain yelled, “Frosty!”

The henchman came running around the corner and slipped on the frozen floor.

“Are you ever going to learn?” Mr. Freeze shouted. “The floor is icy, which makes it slippery. Use your brain!”

Nodding in shame, Frosty stood up and waited at the entrance. The villain stared at him, deep in thought. King Tut had Batman so he needed Robin. The professor-turned-villain would set some sort of trap. But where?

“Gotham Central Park!” Mr. Freeze suddenly shouted, startling his henchman. “Frosty, go to the park and carefully search for suspicious activity or tricky traps. If you do find something, take out the henchman and bring him to me. Understand?!”

The last word thundered around the room and Frosty nodded again before turning and racing out the door.

* * *

Batman was in trouble…probably. Robin had been able to slowly piece together the few sounds that he could turn into words: Batman, death, icy, park and traps. The guy in front of him was going to trap Batman in some sort of park and send him to an icy death. Or Batman was parked in death with an icy trap. Or maybe death was trapped in Batman’s ice in a park.

The words formed phrases, burst apart then formed new ones. There were so many combinations dancing around in his head and Robin was captivated by the movements. He had never known that words could move so beautifully. This was going to be his new skill, he decided: making words dance. Did Batman know how to do it? Why hadn’t the man taught him yet? It seemed like an important skill for a crime-fighter to have.

“…IDIOT!”

Mr. Freeze yelled at him and this time Robin did flinch. He was on the floor curled in a ball, desperately trying to conserve his body heat. Immersed in his thoughts, the Boy Wonder had stopped singing his jumbled version of Joker’s lyrics.

There was a hint of relief in the yell and the teenager narrowed his eyes. The white-haired man obviously didn’t like his singing and Robin didn’t like the white-haired man. He decided to continue out of spite. It might be impossible to move but it was definitely possible to be annoying. But he needed something new.

“Jing...bells, Jo’er…smells,” he rasped and internally laughed when the villain stood up and threw his hands in the air.

“I understand why King Tut calls you the Bat-brat!” Mr. Freeze shouted in exasperation. “You don’t shut up and I know you’re doing this to irritate me! I would kill you now if I didn’t want Batman to regret doing it himself!”

This time Robin caught the words “kill” and “Batman”. Those two words together were unacceptable and the Boy Wonder somehow pushed himself to his knees.

“You…can’t…kill…him,” he growled, his breaths coming in gasps and his chest constricting painfully every time it moved. “Better…than…you.”

The villain walked over to the cage and glared at the teenager. Grabbing a key off the belt around his waist, he unlocked the door and let it swing open.

“Come out and say that to my face, _sidekick_ ,” Mr. Freeze snarled.

Robin tried, he really did. But he couldn’t force himself to his feet; he couldn’t even shuffle forward on his knees. All he could do was glare at the man who was only four feet away and wish that he could jump up and punch that arrogant face – hard.

Mr. Freeze began laughing. “You can’t even move. Perhaps I should let you warm up a little. I want you to at least be able to _attempt_ to fight back when your partner begins beating you up.”

“Won’t,” Robin gasped. He would never willingly fight Batman, even if the man was going for the kill. Blocking was okay but retaliation was not. The Boy Wonder would block as much as he could, until he couldn’t anymore. Then he would accept whatever happened next. Even death was preferable to attacking his partner.

Rolling his eyes, the villain replied, “Fight, don’t fight, it doesn’t matter. He’ll win either way but it will be more fun for me if you can move.”

Leaving the cage door open, Mr. Freeze returned to the table and picked up the large remote. He flipped a switch above the red button that Chilly had used then pressed the bright circle. The cage went up to twelve degrees, then nineteen, then twenty-six and ended at thirty-two.

This time the abrupt change in temperature made Robin feel like a volcano had erupted inside him and lava was flowing through his veins. He couldn’t stop it, the scream burst from his mouth and he was surprised that chunks of sizzling coals didn’t fly out with it. The Boy Wonder tilted right and landed on his side, shaking from both the cold and the pain.

“That feels better, right?” the villain grinned and sat down to finish his dessert.

* * *

**King Tut’s mobile palace:**

King Tut was sitting on his throne again and the queen fed him a grape before beginning to speak.

“My King,” she began, “I have some information, something that you might find both interesting and important.”

“Speak, my Queen,” the villain replied as he shooed her handmaiden away with a wave of his beefy right hand.

“I heard a noise outside so I crept to the doorway to determine the cause of it…”

“That’s very brave of you, my lovely dove, but you must leave that to my servants from now on,” the large man interrupted reprovingly.

“Yes, Your Highness, I understand. However, we are lucky that I did. Three was on the payphone just outside your palace, speaking to someone. I didn’t hear the other end of the conversation but I did hear Three say that you had Batman. Then he grinned and I heard the words “captured” and “Robin”. I can only assume that whoever was on the other end of the call has the boy, making it nearly impossible for you to trap him in order to get the weapon.”

“ _WHAT?!_ ” the villain roared in shock. It had to be Mr. Freeze, all the other villains had already left Gotham City. He must have captured the younger hero at the same time that King Tut had captured the older one!

King Tut knew he needed to make a deal with the other man. Somehow he would have to convince the frozen felon to hand over both Robin and the weapon. But how?

* * *

Mr. Freeze had Robin. The false queen was whispering but Batman had good ears. The Caped Crusader wasn’t exactly sure how long he had been in this so-called palace but he could estimate. If the knockout gas was as strong as most were, he had been unconscious for well over an hour. The conversation with King Tut had lasted nine or ten minutes. Then the villain had taken one of his henchmen to Gotham Central Park to set up a trap and the other henchman had taunted Batman for seven or eight minutes. After their discussion, the guy had fallen asleep in less than three minutes. Forty to forty-five minutes later, the stronger henchman had entered the hideout and droned on about the new weapon for almost five minutes. About ten minutes after that, the villain had returned. Quickly calculating in his head, Batman decided that Robin had been in the usually-cold hideout of Mr. Freeze for close to three hours.

No anti-freeze Robin-suit, a villain who wouldn’t care if the teenager became sick and almost three hours in a freezing environment. He knew Robin was wearing his Special Thermal V Long Underwear so that would protect him for a little while. Batman remembered the one square of warmth from the time Robin had followed him to the hideout of Mr. Freeze. Was the man allowing the boy at least that one square or was his young partner being held captive in a temperature that was probably less than thirty degrees?

No, Mr. Freeze would want to keep him alive and able to move. Both villains wanted the – Batman had to admit it – ingenious weapon but apparently they wouldn’t get it unless they had both members of the Dynamic Duo. And the plan was obvious: use the anti-hero ray on one or both of the heroes and force them to fight. The Caped Crusader also knew that the hero who wasn’t hit with the blue electricity would refuse to fight back. He wouldn’t willingly hurt Robin and Robin would feel the same way. One half of the Dynamic Duo was going to end up severely injured or, possibly, dead.

Batman began struggling again but nothing was happening. The chains were so tight that they were beginning to shred the fabric of his Bat-suit. He couldn’t reach any helpful pocket in his utility belt, except the one with his Bat-communicator which had been smashed to pieces.

Utility belt! Robin had a blood-warming Bat-pill in his belt! Batman fervently hoped that the Boy Wonder had remembered and found the little circle of red.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm pretty sure that going from an extremely freezing temp to "just" a freezing temp (7 degrees to 32 degrees) in less than five seconds wouldn't make you feel like a volcano exploded inside you. But, this is based off Batman '66 so... ;-)


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the kudos!

“Lava, lava, lava,” Robin chanted as he stared at the open cage door. He was now lying flat on his back on the cold floor, attempting to relieve the heat racing through his body.

“Did you know,” he began loudly, “that ice is actually chocolate filled with birds?”

Mr. Freeze, still at his table but now cleaning his freeze ray, looked over at the teen in disbelief.

“And,” Robin continued, “if you sit by a dog you become a sunflower. Isn’t that funny? What would it feel like to be a sunflower? Have you ever wanted to be a sunflower?”

The villain slowly shook his head in reply, although he wasn’t quite sure _why_ he was replying to the delirious sentences coming out of the sidekick’s mouth.

“One time,” the teen stated solemnly, “I wanted to be a jelly doughnut. But the rooster told me that the sidewalk would drink me up. So then I changed my mind. I don’t want to be drunked…dranked…drinked…?” He trailed off in confusion.

“You sound drunk,” Mr. Freeze declared before returning his attention to his freeze ray.

“And you sound like a rat,” Robin retorted. “A ratty rat finger with sprinkles.”

Rolling his eyes, the villain stood up, turned toward the exit and checked his watch. It had been nearly half an hour since Frosty had left. Finding a rival henchman, knocking him out and coming back shouldn’t take _that_ long!

“One more thing,” Robin declared, his voice much louder than before. “I’ve never been drunk and you’re stupid.” There was a quick beat of silence and then he added, “I guess that’s two more things.”

Mr. Freeze snarled and turned back toward the cage only to run face-first into an icy, Robin-sized fist. The villain dropped limply to the ground and the Boy Wonder stumbled to the table. He grabbed the remote and slowly filled the room with warmth, leaving a small square of frozen air around the head of the unconscious criminal.

“Utility belt, I love you,” the teenager whispered as he patted the pocket over his right hip. The anti-delirium Bat-pill had taken longer to work than he would have liked but at least he wasn’t spouting nonsense anymore. And, thanks to the mild warmth spreading throughout the room, he could finally breathe without fire or ice clogging his throat.

His legs were tired, his torso was aching and his right wrist was throbbing. He dropped onto the nearest chair – a short rest would be okay. Mr. Freeze was unconscious, two of the henchmen were gone and the third goon would be easy to knock out.

“Boss!” came a voice from the hallway.

“Best laid plans,” Robin mumbled angrily before standing up.

Frosty skidded around the corner into a room full of warmth and the sight of his boss lying motionless on the ground. There was also an open cage door and a teenager with his arms folded across his chest. Robin was glaring at him and Frosty flinched noticeably before turning around and racing away.

Sighing, Robin began to follow. He wanted to run but his energy reserves were depleted. Just walking was proving to be difficult. But he needed to find the way out because someone had Batman in an icy park trap.

The Boy Wonder was completely lost in his thoughts, his eyes following the shallow footprints of the henchman in the slushy ice. A flash of memory shot through his mind: Batman was in Gotham Central Park. Robin wasn’t sure why, but he knew that his partner would be there.

His progress was suddenly halted by the strong chest of Frigid. The henchman immediately grabbed Robin’s right wrist and twisted, fully expecting the boy to drop to his knees as he had before. This time, however, the Boy Wonder was ready for the pain.

Robin twisted with the wrist and jumped, using the rough momentum to flip into an air-borne log roll. Ignoring the scream of his ribs, the groan of his bloody left arm and the searing pain in his right wrist, the teenager easily landed on his feet. Now Frigid’s entire left arm was twisted and Robin used the rebound from his flip to whirl the henchman around and slam him onto the solid ice of the floor.

Frigid was smart enough to curl his head into his chest. He landed hard on his back but was able to stay conscious. The air was gone, though, and he was gasping in pain.

The Boy Wonder wrapped his left arm across his aching torso and pressed his right hand onto the open wound on his left bicep. The torn ligament in his wrist, however, was preventing him from pushing hard enough to stop the blood. Unfortunately, he was going to be leaving an easy-to-follow trail of bright red on the icy-white ground. And, he realized as a wave of dizziness hit him, he was losing a lot of blood. His arm had been bleeding intermittently from the time the tree had snatched a chunk of flesh away. Robin didn’t know how long ago that was, but he did know that he needed to find something to wrap around the wound.

The utility belt around his waist, which contained several things that would be helpful to him in this situation, wasn’t part of the small amount of things the teenager could remember. So, there was no Bat-wrap for his bloody arm and no blood-warming Bat-pill for his still-cold body.

Frosty’s trail had merged with the footprints from the short fight and Robin had no idea which way the goon had gone. Breathing hurt but the pain eased slightly when he bent his torso exactly three and a quarter inches forward. So, hunched over like an old man with a crooked back, the teenager trudged away from the trembling body of Frigid. Ten seconds later he had to make a choice: a sharp left turn or a curve to the right.

There were several sets of footprints going in opposite directions each way so there was no way to know for sure. It was a silly way to decide but he did it anyway – the right side of his ribcage hurt more than the left so Robin curved right. He heard a quiet chuckle from the man he had left on the floor and immediately turned around. Was it a trick or was the muscular goon laughing at the fact that Robin had gone the wrong way? Was the man even smart enough to try to trick the teen into thinking he should go the other way?

Shaking his head, the Boy Wonder decided to go with his first choice. He turned back around and began following the curving path on the right. This time the chuckle came from in front of him and Robin saw the shimmering side of an icicle right before it slammed into his forehead. Stumbling back, with blood streaming down his face, the Boy Wonder watched in awe as rainbows floated over the bright-green head of Frosty.

For the second time in less than five minutes, Robin’s progress was halted by the strong chest of Frigid. The leftover ache in his back, from being hit with the anti-hero ray, flared up when it connected with the man’s muscular torso.

“Wrong choice, kid,” was the last thing the teenager heard as he slid down Frigid’s body, crumbling into a pile of flesh at the man’s feet.

* * *

**Gotham Central Park – thirty minutes earlier:**

Two sat in the shade of a large oak tree, tossing rocks at the trunk and eating an apple. It had been over an hour since King Tut had set up the trap and there was no sign of Robin. The kid was either too stupid to come back and look for clues or smart enough to stay away. Of all the jobs King Tut had ever given him, Two decided that this one was the worst. It was hot and boring plus he was missing all the “we-have-Batman-trapped” fun.

He idly wondered what would happen if Robin didn’t step on the oily slip and slide King Tut had laid out. The boy wouldn’t be a sitting duck for Two’s rocks, that was for sure. Quickly glancing around, the henchman decided to gather a few bigger stones, just in case the sidekick inadvertently found a way around the trap.

* * *

Frosty, hidden in the forest, stared at the short figure with the black, wind-blown hair. Was he one of King Tut’s servants or just a man relaxing by a tree? The guy glanced around then stood up and began walking in a slow circle. Frosty carefully watched the movements, hoping to receive some kind of clue.

Then he saw the two small piles of rocks. Why would someone be making little mounds of rocks in Gotham Central Park? There could only be one explanation – to Frosty’s simple mind, anyway. The dark-haired man was some kind of nature lover who wanted to add ordinary stones to some sort of weird collection he had or was about to start.

The man bent down and picked up a stone that was slightly larger than the ones in his piles. He tested the weight in his hands and rotated it several times in different directions. Rolling his eyes, this had been a waste of time, Frosty turned around and headed back toward the hideout of Mr. Freeze.

* * *

One stood in the alley next to the jewelry store, watching the man who was staring at Two. The guy was obviously loyal to Mr. Freeze; the warm clothing he was wearing on this hot day was proof of that. Why was he here and what was he going to do?

Two was now wandering around, picking up larger rocks and glancing back at his piles. Sighing, One sat down and waited for something to happen. Mr. Freeze’s man suddenly turned and vanished into the forest. Surprised but relieved, One stood up and headed back toward the hideout of King Tut.

* * *

**Mr. Freeze’s arctic hideout – present time:**

“Well, now what do we do?” Frosty demanded loudly, glaring at Frigid. He held the bloody icicle in his right hand and his left was tightly clenched.

Frigid glared back, annoyed that Frosty was even here. Kicking the motionless body of the sidekick off his own feet, the muscular henchman shrugged. Pain flared up in his left shoulder and Frigid kicked Robin’s body again, irritated that the _boy_ had wounded him.

“You truly are an idiot,” Frigid mumbled under his breath. Grabbing the left leg of the Boy Wonder, the large man turned around and began dragging the small body back toward the dining room where the cage was located.

His eyes widened when he entered the room. It was completely warm everywhere except for one tiny square, where his boss was huddled in the cold. Frigid quickly made his way to the cage and roughly tossed Robin inside, making sure to securely lock the door before turning to the table. He strode over, grabbed the large remote and used several of the many buttons to shrink the area of warmth.

Mr. Freeze stood up and growled in Robin’s direction before glaring at his henchmen.

“Where is my anti-hero freeze ray?!” he shouted. Frosty, who had followed Frigid into the room, quickly retreated and raced away.

Frigid had no excuse. He had been too excited to tell Three about Robin, causing him to overlook the fact that his boss would want to know why he had returned without the weapon.

“And why,” the villain continued, “did Chilly hear you on the phone telling someone about Robin?”

The words were full of fury outlined with a tinge of confusion. He had trusted Frigid, his smartest and strongest henchman, and the man had allegedly betrayed him.

“I couldn’t find the guy and Chilly is an idiot. He’s trying to get on your good side by lying about me.” Frigid hoped his boss would believe the lie and dismiss the story from Chilly.

Rolling his eyes, it was a good point, Mr. Freeze did exactly what his muscular henchman wanted – believed the lie. Chilly was always trying to find ways to gain approval and Frigid would never betray him.

Glancing over at the cage, where the Boy Wonder was lying motionless, the villain raised his eyebrows in surprise.

“He tried to escape, I took care of him,” Frigid answered the obvious question in his boss’s eyes. “I got him in the forehead with an icicle but he’ll wake up soon. Want me to drop the temperature?”

“No, the warmth will wake him up. If King Tut has Batman, we have to find a way to get him. My prototype works – not as well as the finished anti-hero ray, of course – so I can use the sidekick as bait. But if Batman is unable to escape, I can’t use the boy as bait.”

“Maybe you could offer to give King Tut the kid, since his henchman has the weapon. Then, when he comes to take him, you can defeat that villain and grab Batman yourself.”

“The faux Pharaoh has the weapon!” Mr. Freeze exclaimed. “He doesn’t need Robin, he can just use the thing on Batman!”

Frigid had to think fast. The plan he and Three had come up with wouldn’t work if their respective bosses believed the other villain had the anti-hero freeze ray.

“Actually, after knocking me down and grabbing the weapon, the other guy was mumbling something about keeping it for himself. I doubt King Tut has it; the goon sounded like he wanted to use it. And if King Tut doesn’t have it, he can’t use it on Batman.”

“You think we have a chance,” Mr. Freeze mused.

“Well, don’t you think we would have heard something by now if Batman was running around acting like a criminal? King Tut would have used the weapon immediately, right?”

“Frigid, you are smart,” the villain declared. “We need a plan to get the weapon and another one to take Batman away from the idiotic professor.”

Mr. Freeze began pacing and Frigid quietly backed away. The villain was deep in thought and didn’t even notice that his best henchman was now racing down the icy hall toward the exit.

* * *

**King Tut’s mobile palace:**

His eyes were squeezed shut in concentration and King Tut was mumbling to himself. Since Mr. Freeze had the sidekick, trapping the kid was now impossible. Suddenly his eyes popped open and he gasped.

“Mr. Freeze has the weapon!” he exclaimed. “He can use it on the Boy Idiot and, if he finds my palace, use the kid to get to Batman!”

At that moment, One walked in and grimaced when he heard the anger in his boss’s voice. The news he had was only going to increase the villain’s fury.

“Your Highness,” the henchman began, “the boy has not shown up. Two has piles of rocks ready but nothing has happened. Also, Mr. Freeze had a goon watching Two but he left soon after I arrived.”

“Nothing has happened, idiot, because Mr. Freeze has captured Robin!” King Tut yelled.

Three, who had been listening from the hallway, frowned. How did his boss know that Mr. Freeze had Robin? There was only one way to find out. Striding into the room, Three made his way to the throne and bowed. Hopefully the lie he was about to tell would work. If not, the plan he and Frigid had created would probably fall to pieces.

Before the henchman could even begin speaking, King Tut held up his hand.

“Why did my lovely queen hear you telling someone that I had captured Batman?” the villain demanded loudly. “And where is my weapon?!”

Shock flew across his face but Three quickly dismissed the expression. How was he going to explain this? He couldn’t exactly tell a king that his queen was lying, especially since she wasn’t. The lie he had been ready to use was immediately replaced with another.

“I was attempting to procure the weapon, Your Majesty,” Three explained. “I thought that by telling my contact about Batman, we would be able to bring Mr. Freeze to us. We could have a trap ready, defeat that villain and grab both the boy and the weapon.”

The story made sense and King Tut’s fury faded. There was still a problem, however. Mr. Freeze had probably already used the weapon on the Bat-brat.

“Also,” Three continued, “after knocking me down and grabbing the weapon, the other guy was mumbling something about keeping it for himself. I doubt Mr. Freeze has it; the goon sounded like he wanted to use it. And if Mr. Freeze doesn’t have it, then he can’t use it on the sidekick.”

That explanation was also plausible and King Tut grinned. “We still have a chance,” he murmured.

“I suppose,” his queen agreed softly. She was watching Three’s face carefully, still suspicious of his actions.

The henchman almost glared at the fake queen when he noticed her studying him. Pushing the emotion away, he re-focused on King Tut.

“Don’t you think, Oh Mighty King, that we would have heard something if Robin was running around acting like a criminal? If Mr. Freeze had the weapon, Your Highness, I think he would use it right away.”

Nodding, King Tut began staring at Batman. “We need a plan to get the weapon from the person who has it, whether it’s Mr. Freeze or his goon.”

Absently stroking his goatee, the villain closed his eyes in concentration. He was so deep in thought that he didn’t hear his muscular henchman quietly leave the room and race down the hall toward the exit.

The remaining henchman, One, and the queen were staring at King Tut and waiting for instructions. They, too, failed to notice the disappearance of Three.

* * *

**Juniper Street – midnight:**

It was Three who had called Frigid this time. They had met up at warehouse number seven and were arguing about their plans.

“He wants Batman!” Frigid exclaimed. “Get your boss to hand him over!”

“Right,” Three replied sarcastically, “because my boss will allow Batman to be released into the hands of another villain. Give Robin to King Tut!”

“This is ridiculous! Just give…” the sentence trailed off and Frigid’s eyes lit up.

“An exchange!” he declared. “We tell them we found the weapon and have them bring their respective heroes to a neutral place. Mr. Freeze and King Tut will think they are setting a trap when really the surprise will belong to us!”

Three narrowed his eyes. “I don’t understand,” he admitted angrily.

Holding back a sigh, Frigid started over.

“We have the weapon. You go back to King Tut and tell him that you found the weapon but you had to hide it. He’ll want to retrieve it himself; he won’t trust anyone to do it for him. That’s how Mr. Freeze will feel anyway. Then you explain that it will be easier to turn Batman into a criminal if King Tut brings him along when you lead him to the weapon.”

“Why would it be easier?”

“Because the weapon is there, he can use it right away instead of having to take it back to his hideout! I’ll say the same thing to Mr. Freeze. They’ll agree; they’ll want to have immediate control of the hero they captured.”

“How is that a trap?”

“Oh, um…”

“We tell them that the other villain knows about it, too!” Three exclaimed after a brief moment of silence. “We’ll make it a race. Both heroes will be there, just like the first time we used the weapon. You shoot them again and we turn them against King Tut and Mr. Freeze! Then we get them to fight each other and whoever wins, probably Batman, is in our control!”

“Gotham Central Park,” Frigid nodded in agreement as he spoke. “It will end where it started. Tomorrow night, say ten o’clock?”

Three nodded, also, and the men shook hands.

“Make it convincing,” Frigid added.

“And watch out for the oil spill in the area where Batman and Robin fought before,” Three advised. “That was King Tut’s trap to catch the sidekick.”

“By the northern gate, then?” Frigid asked.

“See you at ten,” Three grinned as he turned around and strode to his vehicle.


	8. Chapter 8

**Mr. Freeze’s arctic hideout – just before dawn:**

Mr. Freeze had fallen asleep on his chair at the table. He had wracked his brain for several hours, trying to think of a way to trap King Tut. Exhaustion had overtaken him around three o’clock and he had closed his eyes for ‘just a minute’.

A quiet moan drew Mr. Freeze out of his slumber. His eyes popped open and he glanced in the direction of the sound. Robin, who had been unconscious all night, was moving. He was attempting to sit up and blood was trickling from both his arm and his head. The villain walked over to the cage and sat down on the cold floor.

“I need your partner,” he declared loudly. Robin flinched as he pushed himself up and lifted his head.

“You won’t find him,” the Boy Wonder rasped. “Too smart and strong.”

“Oh, I already know where he is,” the villain replied. “Not his specific location,” he amended, “but I do know that King Tut has him.”

Fuzzy memories strolled around the clouds in Robin’s brain. Batman, icy death park and something about henchmen. Then the words registered: King Tut had captured Batman. 

“Why do you need him?”

Robin’s voice was a little stronger, although his light-blue eyes were slightly hazy. A dribble of liquid slid down his nose and he realized that he was bleeding. He pushed his left hand against the cut on his forehead, but that caused pain to flow through his entire arm. So, he dropped his left and covered the small injury with his right instead.

The injured wrist, however, didn’t allow him to put pressure on it. There was nothing he could do but attempt to swipe the blood off his forehead before lowering his hand. That resulted in a streak of smeared crimson that traveled across his eyebrow and down his cheek. His utility belt, and the Bat-wrap inside one of the pockets, never even crossed the teenager’s mind.

“So I can get him on my side, of course,” Mr. Freeze snarled.

“Why would he join you?”

“Curiosity killed the cat,” the villain stated, shaking his head. “Or, in this case, the bird.”

“He’s going to escape and then he’s going to arrest you.”

“No, he won’t. I’m going to find my weapon and use _you_ to get to him.”

“What weapon?”

“So many questions. You are about to become an anti-hero, a criminal. We’ll find the fake Pharaoh’s hideout, my henchmen will take care of King Tut’s men, I’ll take out the villain and you will fight your partner. He won’t fight back, I’ll capture him then use my weapon on him. The Dynamic Duo will be under my control and Gotham City will be at my mercy.”

More words registered: find my weapon. The villain didn’t have whatever weapon he needed. Robin knew he still had a chance to escape, if he could figure out how to get out of the cage.

“Until I have my anti-hero freeze ray, however, I need to make sure you stay immobile. Fifteen is a good number.”

Mr. Freeze stood up and strode to his table. Grabbing the large remote, he flipped a switch on the top then held his thumb over the red button.

“Sorry,” he grinned, “but not really.”

The hovering thumb pressed the button and the temperature in the cage began dropping. When it reached fifteen degrees, the villain pushed the button again and watched the sidekick begin to shiver.

“Frigid!” he called. There was no response and Mr. Freeze growled. His henchman was supposed to be assisting him in creating a plan. And where were Frosty and Chilly? Sighing, the villain put on his helmet and turned toward the door.

“Don’t die,” he demanded with a glance back at the Boy Wonder, who didn’t even react.

Shrugging, Mr. Freeze strode out the door. The sidekick hadn’t lost too much blood yet, as far as he knew, and fifteen degrees was survivable. All the villain had to do was find his weapon and everything would work out.

* * *

Mr. Freeze shouted at him but Robin was too focused to care. He ignored the words in favor of chasing an elusive but important piece of information that was sprinting away from his mind. It was about something that was yellow and something else that was red. His thoughts were becoming jumbled but the teenager knew he had to figure this out.

Wispy clouds were getting in the way, mixing up the puzzle he was trying to put together. They were darkening and bumping against each other and the spot of information was vanishing. He was so cold and decided to take a nap. The pain rippling throughout his body reminded him that he needed to heal; sleeping would help that.

As he started to maneuver himself into a comfortable position, his right hand brushed against something sharp at his waist. He glanced down; there was the yellow part of his memory. It was his utility belt, he knew that much, and there was something red in there that would help him.

His body was shaking, his fingers were numb and his eyes were close to disappearing. He fumbled with the pockets, searching for whatever it was that he needed. There were tools in one pocket, some kind of soft material in another, scratchy rope in a pocket next to a hard, pointed thing and some small circles in the next one.

Circles…Bat-pills…antidotes…blood. Blood! Realization struck his brain and his eyelids pulled themselves up. Warmth, the pill would give him warmth. He pulled everything out of the pocket and stared at the seven Bat-pills in dismay. Which one? Blood, to human eyes, was blue in the body, maybe it was the blue one. Yellow had been in the sprinting memory, maybe it was the yellow one. Red had also been there, maybe it was the red one. But the red one was closer to pink so it probably wasn’t that one.

“Holy crucial moment. The wrong one and it becomes holy time-of-death or…” the whispered sentence trailed off and became a cough.

Yellow and red were the two main colors. His utility belt was yellow so it had to be the red pill. He really hoped so because he really didn’t feel like dying from hypothermia, which would probably happen if he didn’t get warm soon.

Biting his lip uncertainly, Robin grabbed the light-red pill and shoved the other ones back into his utility belt. He stared at it for several seconds then popped it in his mouth and closed his eyes in anticipation.

Three seconds later, he smiled in relief. Warmth began flowing through his body and the Boy Wonder opened his eyes. The blood-warming Bat-pill would make him feel like the temperature had risen by twenty-five degrees and, since his body was so small, would keep his core temperature stable for almost three hours.

“Forty degrees. I can handle that. I just need to escape within three hours.”

Robin waited for his body to stop shivering before standing up. He had gone too quickly, he realized, when the world tilted and began spinning. Grabbing the closest bars of the cage with both hands, he stared at the ground until the dizziness receded.

The Bat-pill was warming his body but the heavy clouds were still floating in his brain. The feeling and memory of his utility belt, and the useful tools inside, was now hiding in a particularly deep cloud. Forgetting the colors that had helped him before, the Boy Wonder began trying to find a way out of his prison.

* * *

**King Tut’s mobile palace – just before dawn:**

Batman listened to the diverse snoring sounds assaulting his ears. Someone was loud and grunting like a pig. Another was soft but rattling. The third was more mumbling than snoring and the hero was sure that one was King Tut.

Robin needed him and what was he doing? Lying on a table, struggling to get out of the tight chains with absolutely no success. His partner could be dying, or already dead, and Batman couldn’t release himself from one measly chain!

Tiny slices of red covered his body, the products of metal biting through skin. Batman knew that getting one arm free, or even just a leg, would enable him to escape. But he hadn’t been able to loosen any part of his restraints. King Tut’s henchmen had done an excellent job and the Caped Crusader was immensely frustrated.

A soft light suddenly filled the room and Batman turned his head. The faux Pharaoh’s fake queen was walking toward him. Tensing slightly, the hero sent a mild Bat-glare in her direction. Ignoring the look, she knelt beside him and lightly rested a hand on his chained chest.

“I don’t trust Three,” she whispered. “He’s going to betray us, I’m sure of it. But King Tut believed the stories he heard. They were, I admit, quite convincing. However, I know that he is lying.”

“Why are you here? What do you want?” Batman growled. He didn’t care about her trust issues and was annoyed that she was discussing them with him.

“I need you to take care of the problem.”

“How, exactly, am I supposed to do that when I’m lying here all chained up?” he snarled.

“Don’t be so impolite, Caped Crusader,” the queen admonished. “We both know you are a perfect gentleman.”

“Not to criminals,” Batman retorted. “Ask Catwoman.”

Sighing, she stood up. “I was going to give you a slight advantage but if you’re just going to be rude…”

“What kind of advantage?” the hero immediately demanded.

Smiling, she knelt down again and held up a small object. “I just happen to have a tool that can cut through chains. I’m sure that if you have it, you’ll figure something out.”

The Bat-glare lessened slightly and Batman opened both hands as wide as he could.

“It’s not going to be _that_ easy,” she softly laughed. “I told you not to be rude.”

Laying the tool on his chest, the queen stood up again. “Don’t forget why I gave that to you,” she stated. Turning around, she tiptoed away and the soft light faded as she walked out the door.

He couldn’t grab the tool with his mouth, he couldn’t roll it off his body into his hand, he couldn’t do anything with it. Batman’s frustration grew as ideas strolled through his head, being tossed away almost as quickly as they were introduced. They were all inadequate; he had no way to get the thing off his chest and into his hand. King Tut would be waking up soon and his already slim chance of escaping would be lost entirely.

Heaving a sigh, the Caped Crusader’s thoughts turned to Robin but a tiny movement caught his eye. The small tool had shifted when he had expanded his chest in order to sigh. An experiment was required so he took a slow, deep breath. That didn’t work so he abruptly filled his lungs with air and just as quickly released the breath. His eyes widened as he watched the object bounce slightly. Now he knew what to do.

Over and over he took fast, shallow breaths. The tool slowly wiggled its way toward his right hand. Batman was becoming dizzy but there was no way he was going to rest. He needed to escape before someone woke up.

After what seemed like three hours, but was actually only four minutes, the small piece of metal landed in his hand. Batman slowed his breathing and closed his eyes, waiting for the dizziness to recede and his erratic heartbeat to steady itself. Half-muttered words about heroes and villains were fading and the sounds of a large body shifting and stretching replaced the words. King Tut was waking up.

* * *

**A payphone outside of Mr. Freeze’s arctic hideout:**

“I haven’t had a chance yet!” Frigid declared quietly. “He just left; I’ll tell him when he comes back. It’s…”

“Who are you talking to, Frigid?”

Mr. Freeze interrupted the conversation by slamming the back end of his freeze ray against the henchman’s head. Frigid immediately dropped to the ground, leaving the receiver swaying gently just above him.

Mr. Freeze heard a tiny voice so he bent down and grabbed the phone.

“Frigid! Frigid are you there?!”

“He is currently unavailable,” the villain snarled. “Who is this?”

A shout was the only answer he received and he frowned, frustrated. He had probably been speaking to Frigid’s contact, whoever that was, but the man was obviously gone. Mr. Freeze was moving the phone away from his ear, ready to hang up, when he heard a quiet voice.

“Hello?”

* * *

**A payphone outside of King Tut’s mobile palace:**

Three’s eyes widened when Frigid grunted. “Frigid!” he yelled.

“He is currently…”

The henchman didn’t hear the rest of Mr. Freeze’s sentence. One had followed him outside and had just knocked him out with a plank of wood. The less-intelligent henchman heard snarling and picked up the phone that was swinging beneath the phone booth.

“Hello?” he whispered, his voice shaking in fear.

“Who. Is. This?!” Mr. Freeze demanded from the other end and One almost hung up the phone. Before he could even begin the motion, the villain began shouting.

“What do you want? Money, power, a new boss, _what_?!”

The words plodded through One’s brain and he saw a roomful of money dancing in front of him. What would he have to do to get it?

“Um…yes?” he mumbled.

“You belong to King Tut.”

It was a statement, not a question, and One took a moment to think. Belong? He was King Tut’s most loyal servant, in his mind, but the villain didn’t _own_ him…right?

“You’re an idiot,” Mr. Freeze muttered at the silence and One frowned. Why did everyone always say that about him?

“You’re the one that could only capture the _sidekick_ ,” the henchman retorted petulantly. “At least my boss can catch the real prize.”

“Let me talk to your boss,” the villain demanded, “or I will hunt you down and freeze you solid.”

One’s eyes widened. “I…what if he won’t come to this phone?” he asked nervously. “His Royal Highness prefers comfort…”

“Then use a different phone!” Mr. Freeze interrupted, rolling his eyes. King Tut’s henchmen were obviously as idiotic as his own.

“I don’t care about what the faux Pharaoh does or doesn’t like!” Mr. Freeze continued. “Let me speak to him or you’ll be running for the rest of your life, scared of being frozen solid!”

“Okay…o…kay. H…hold on,” One stuttered anxiously. Dropping the phone, he raced to King Tut’s mobile palace and into the dining area, where the fake king was enjoying his breakfast.

“Your Highness,” he gasped, “Mr. Freeze is on the phone!”

“Where? What phone?” King Tut demanded, already trying to form a plan. If the other villain wanted to talk, that meant a negotiation was about to take place.

“The, uh, payphone outside…” One’s voice faltered as he realized that he should have given Mr. Freeze the number for the mobile phone in the mobile palace.

“You expect me to speak to that frozen felon while _standing outside_?!” King Tut asked incredulously.

“Um, no, Your Kingship, um…sorry?” There was a short pause and then One exclaimed, “I didn’t hang up! If he’s still there I’ll give him the number…”

“Do you think I’m an idiot?” the villain bellowed. “Get out there or face my wrath!”

Bowing quickly, One turned around and raced back outside.

* * *

**Payphone outside Mr. Freeze’s arctic hideout:**

King Tut’s henchman was silent. Mr. Freeze had been yelling at him and receiving no response, nothing!

“I’ll find you!” the villain promised and prepared to slam the phone onto its receiver.

“Wait!” the man on the other end yelled in a breathless voice. “King Tut’s mobile phone number is 201-1366.”

“I already know that, idiot! I called him before, didn’t I? Why am I not speaking to him instead of you?! Forget it; you are obviously too stupid to give him this phone.”

“It’s a payphone…” One began but Mr. Freeze had already hung up.

“Why are all henchmen such idiots?” the villain grumbled as he strode back to his hideout.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: There is a lot of information about early area codes. Sometimes they started with letters to make it easier to remember (although that's not really important to this story). In New Jersey (Gotham City's "traditional" location) the earliest area code was 201. So I used that and combined it with the date and year of King Tut's debut on the TV show - April 13, 1966.
> 
> Therefore: 201-1366
> 
> Thanks for rolling with my sometimes inane ideas. :-)


	9. Chapter 9

**Mr. Freeze’s arctic hideout – one hour earlier:**

Robin decided to begin by searching for a weakness. The door was locked and the icy bars were solid but he was willing to try anything. He shook the bars, pushed on the door and even crawled on the frozen ground, examining every minute crack. Less than five minutes later, he decided it was useless and a waste of time.

The Boy Wonder sat in the center of the cage and tried to think of a plan. He stared at the door for almost thirty seconds before realizing the significance of the small, silver object attached to the outside. Three seconds later he was kneeling next to the door and pulling the green gloves off his hands. Then he stuck his left hand through the bars and his fingers began dancing on the lock. It was a two-in-one: a spinning dial combination lock with a small keyhole at the top. Easy enough – if he could figure out the numbers and find the key.

Rolling his eyes at the last thought, Mr. Freeze was too smart to leave the key lying around, Robin began spinning the dial. He assumed it was a normal combination lock: spin to the right for the first number, spin left twice to the second number and then spin right again, straight to the third number.

He stopped spinning and closed his eyes. Carefully, the teen slowly ran his left index finger down each groove and its corresponding number on the dial. The longer grooves were under whole numbers, counting by fives: zero through fifty-five. The smaller ones, however, had what felt like fractions above them. Sighing, this was _not_ a normal combination lock, Robin opened his eyes.

What numbers would Mr. Freeze use? What was something important…Batman’s birthdate? Probably not, since there were no fractions in anyone’s date of birth. He decided to try it anyway, using the day as the fraction: 9-2/1-39.

Those numbers obviously wouldn’t work – there was no nine or thirty-nine and 2/1 was not one of the fraction options. So, he rounded up the month and year and reversed the day: 10-1/2-40. Robin held his breath as he landed on forty. But there was no ‘click’ or ‘snap’ or any other sound that would indicate the opening of a lock.

“This is ridiculous, I’m never going to figure it out,” Robin grumbled, already frustrated. He had to unlock this part, however, before he could even think about using the key. It was doubtful that he would even be able to _find_ the key but that was a problem for later.

“Stupid idea; stupid villains,” the teen mumbled even as he tried his own birthdate.

Again he had to change the numbers, reversing and rounding up the day and then rounding down the year. So, 3-20-56 became 3-1/2-55 but, unsurprisingly, it didn’t work. Robin doubted that any villain would care to know the birthdate of a sidekick.

The Boy Wonder sighed – this was going to take a while – and began trying the birthdates of every villain he could think of. When none of them worked, he tried the dates of each villain’s most recent capture. Next, he tried the address of the State Pen followed by the address of Police Headquarters. This was going nowhere.

It was getting harder to feel the grooves; for some reason his fingers were slippery. Pulling his hand back into the cage, Robin was disappointed to see blood. He had hoped for sweat but the tips of his fingers were raw from scraping down the metal lines over and over. Briefly, he thought about switching hands but immediately realized that it would be much more difficult to spin the dial with the torn ligament in his wrist.

Sighing, the Boy Wonder roughly wiped his fingers on his tunic before sticking his arm through the bars again. It was shaking slightly – the cold, pain in his bicep and exhaustion were all working against him. He was wasting so much time. His three-hour blood-warming Bat-pill window was rapidly closing; he estimated that he had maybe an hour and a half left.

“Come on, think!” Robin yelled, feeling like an idiot. He was the _Boy Wonder_ , he should already be free!

Angrily, he spun the dial to the right several times, searching his brain for any other date. Maybe it wasn’t even a date, maybe it was just three random numbers that only Mr. Freeze and his henchmen would know. Or…

“8-2/3-55,” he whispered and held his breath. Fifty-five was closest to seventy, although it was still very far away. There was a soft click and Robin nearly shouted in triumph. Of course it would be the date of Mr. Freeze’s most recent escape! Now, he just needed to find the key. While locked in a cage and exhausted. Easy enough….

* * *

**King Tut’s mobile palace:**

Batman closed his right hand, completely hiding the small tool, just as King Tut ambled sleepily into the throne room. The object was sharp on one end while the other was smooth and split into two parts. It felt like a pair of scissors but Batman didn’t know of any scissors that could cut through a metal chain.

“Did you sleep well, Brainless Bat?” King Tut called loudly, interrupting Batman’s thoughts. The hero remained silent and the villain frowned.

“You _will_ answer me, as soon as I get my hands on that weapon and use it on you,” he declared. “And you will obey my every command, including the one to fight your silly sidekick.”

“That will never happen; I will _never_ fight Robin!” Batman replied heatedly.

“Oh, but you already have,” the villain chuckled. “However, you allowed the Bat-brat to escape. Next time you will finish the job. You will kill him and feel no remorse.”

“I will find a way to force him to leave,” the Caped Crusader growled, “before that happens.”

King Tut was now sitting on his throne. Staring haughtily down at the hero, the villain shook his head in amusement.

“The boy is loyal, he’ll stay and attempt to help you even if you order him to leave. Maybe I’ll just hit him with the weapon first. He’ll fight you and then I’ll hit you and you’ll begin fighting back. Either way – whether he gets a taste of the weapon or not – you will be an anti-hero. Your sidekick is too weak to defeat you. _I_ know that _you_ know he could never beat you in any type of fight.”

The villain was entirely correct, Batman had to admit that. As long as he, Batman, was an anti-hero, Robin would never be able to win. The teen could hold his own but eventually Batman’s power would overwhelm the athletic acrobat. And Robin was already injured, which would make it harder for him to defend himself.

“I will find a way,” Batman growled again, “to keep him safe.”

“We’ll see, soon-to-be-slave, we’ll see.”

With that, King Tut stood up and swept out the door, leaving a loud chuckle lingering in the air behind him.

* * *

**Mr. Freeze’s arctic hideout:**

The entire palm of Robin’s left hand was slick with blood. His fingers were too big for the small keyhole but that hadn’t stopped him from trying. He had been shoving his fingers at the hole, one at a time, and had even tried digging his way into the lock. Nothing had worked, of course, because only a tiny key or some kind of lock-picking tool would be able to fit…

“Bat-pick!” the Boy Wonder exclaimed softly.

Glancing down at his left hand that was resting on his legs, Robin grimaced. Tears of red were glistening on every tip and weaving tiny tracks down his fingers. It would be difficult to open any pocket on his utility belt. Using his right hand, however, would be more difficult. His wrist was throbbing and the pain only increased whenever he moved any part of his right arm.

Robin took a deep breath – Batman’s sidekick _never_ gave up – and wiped his left hand on his tunic again. His thoughts were still fuzzy and he couldn’t remember which pocket the Bat-pick was in, so he tried the closest one. It was the first one to the left of the buckle and he began fumbling with the clasp. His bloody fingers, however, refused to give him any traction. All he was doing was coloring the pocket red.

Growling in frustration, the teenager shifted his focus. Biting his lip, he pushed the tips of his fingers against the frozen ground, hoping that the ice would stop the bleeding. If he was lucky, it might even reduce the amount of blood on them. An unexpected wave of dizziness hit him and Robin realized that he was running out of time.

Closing his eyes and clenching his jaw, the Boy Wonder forced his right hand up and across his body. He bit his tongue, folded his bloody left hand into a painful fist and forced his right index finger to flip open the slightly bloody clasp. The motion made flashing stars begin dancing with purple cotton balls in his mind and Robin almost slid to the ground. But he wasn’t done; he needed the Bat-pick.

“Please,” he whispered, his pleading tone laced with agony. He pushed the finger into the pocket and felt several cold, smooth sticks of metal. The Bat-pick, fortunately, was the first tool he pulled out and he opened his eyes.

“Man up,” he growled and forced his right arm through the bars of the cage. His wrist screamed at him as he shoved the Bat-pick around the lock, searching for the tiny hole.

Staying upright was a challenge now as the ache in his wrist intensified. He was just about to pull his arm back in when he felt the tool slide against the lock instead of bouncing off it. Breathing a short sigh of both relief and pain, Robin bit his lip and twisted his wrist.

There was a soft ‘click’ and a quiet ‘ping’ but the teenager didn’t even hear the sounds. He was already slumped against the bars, the agony overwhelming his attempt to stay awake.

* * *

**King Tut’s mobile palace – present time:**

The remaining henchmen had left with King Tut, leaving the throne room devoid of criminals. Batman opened his right hand and, using his thumb, moved the tool – whatever it was – into a more comfortable position. His fingers slid against the smooth end and then dropped through two empty spaces.

Raising his eyebrows in disbelief, they really _were_ scissors, the Caped Crusader turned his wrist toward the closest part of the chain. He opened the blades, slid them through a link of chain and chopped them against it. Nothing happened. Batman growled in both disappointment and frustration. He had allowed the “queen” to play him and had permitted himself to feel a tiny sliver of hope.

“Idiot,” he grumbled and angrily chopped the scissors against the link again. There was a ‘click’ and a ‘snap’ and then a small link of metal dropped to the floor with a ‘ping’.

The Caped Crusader was surprised but didn’t dwell on it. Grabbing the chain with his left hand, Batman pulled. Metal slid through his hand and began crawling slowly across his chest. He grinned and pulled faster.

“…proof of life!”

King Tut’s loud voice echoed from a nearby room and Batman paused in his escape attempt. Immediately the villain stomped into view with a henchman trailing behind him. The goon was holding a mobile phone and King Tut waved his jewel-filled right hand toward the Caped Crusader. Batman’s eyes narrowed then widened when the henchman walked over, stopped two feet away from him and pushed a button on the phone. Apparently he was about to get proof of life!

The men heard the loud ‘clang’ of metal hitting metal, followed by a quiet grunt and a short yelp. Batman growled; the last noise had come from Robin. He had heard that sound more times than he cared to count and the fact that he couldn’t do anything about it angered him.

“Did you hear that?” The recognizable voice of Mr. Freeze was filled with rage. “Is that proof enough for you?!”

The villain’s voice sounded far away and that quickly increased Batman’s level of fury. Mr. Freeze obviously had his phone on speaker, which meant he could be doing anything to Robin while still being able to negotiate with King Tut.

“Not at all!” King Tut retorted. “Those sounds could have come from one of your henchmen for all I know!”

There was a long pause, some loud, unintelligible words and then a quiet, pain-filled voice said, “I’m not an idiot. I’m not going to help you try to capture him.”

The words were so low that Batman almost couldn’t make them out. But the youthful voice belonged to his young partner, the Caped Crusader had no doubts about that. Suddenly, the distinctive sound of flesh hitting flesh resounded loudly through the phone. Batman growled again but stopped when Mr. Freeze began speaking.

“You’re going to be a frozen piece of meat soon, you can’t stop that. But say hi to your partner first or I’ll make it hurt!”

Silence filled the room again and then the young voice mumbled, “Do your worst.”

Again the words were almost too quiet; Batman had stopped breathing in order to hear them. Frowning, he shook his head in consternation. He had already known Robin was loyal but being willing to accept whatever Mr. Freeze’s “worst” was in order to avoid helping the villain was going the extra mile. An extra mile that Batman, if he had been competent enough to escape right away, could have prevented the boy from even thinking about traversing.

“Robin, talk to me!” Batman suddenly commanded. There was no response so the man roared, “That’s an _ORDER_ , Robin! Give me a status report and do it _NOW_!”

“You heard the man,” the icy voice of Mr. Freeze snarled. “Are you really going to disobey a direct order from your boss?”

Still there was silence and Batman became impatient.

“If you don’t talk to me, Robin, I will…”

“I’m kind of cold,” Robin interrupted and Batman could hear a slight grin in the tone.

“Hear that?!” Mr. Freeze shouted. Without waiting for a reply from King Tut, the villain growled, “We’re done here.”

There was the sound of scuffling followed by the ‘clang’ of metal on metal again. Then there was a ‘whoosh’ and several seconds of buzzing. Everyone could hear Mr. Freeze muttering the entire time and suddenly he began speaking again.

“You were right when you called your sidekick an idiot,” the villain grumbled.

“He is not an idiot, you frozen felon,” Batman growled back.

“Whose fault is it that you’re here then?” King Tut unexpectedly countered. “He led you straight into my trap and then left you!”

“This is Not. His. Fault!” The last three words were sharp and both villains simultaneously burst out laughing.

“Sorry, guy, I’m…” Robin’s apology was abruptly cut off and the distinctive whirring of Mr. Freeze’s freeze ray replaced it.

“You better not kill him!” King Tut shouted, his tone slightly threatening.

“Give me Batman then, so he can kill the kid!” Mr. Freeze snapped.

Rolling his eyes, King Tut repeated Mr. Freeze’s earlier comment.

“We’re done here. I’ll go find your anti-hero weapon myself.”

With a regal nod of his head, King Tut indicated to his henchman that it was time to end the conversation. The goon pushed a button and King Tut stood up.

“He’ll escape,” Batman stated confidently. Internally, though, he was worried. Robin obviously hadn’t recognized Batman’s voice; he had used the word “guy”. And, if the freeze ray had hit the teenager, he really would be a frozen piece of meat within an hour.

* * *

**Mr. Freeze’s arctic hideout:**

Mr. Freeze had used his mobile phone to call that of King Tut. The villain had been in his bedroom but now was stomping angrily into the room that contained a nearly-frozen bird in a small cage. King Tut wanted proof of life.

The boy was slumped against the bars near the door of his prison, either asleep or unconscious. Mr. Freeze strode to the front of the cage.

“Wake up, sidekick!” he yelled, but Robin didn’t move.

Taking out his key, the villain reached for the lock. His eyes widened in disbelief – somehow the kid had figured out how to open both parts of the lock! On the ground, two feet to the right of the villain, was the small Bat-pick that Mr. Freeze didn’t even notice.

“So, you do know _some_ escaping techniques,” the man snarled as he pulled the lock off the door. He flung the cage door open so hard that it slammed into the bars with a loud ‘clang’.

Robin’s eyes popped open at the noise. His body tensed as Mr. Freeze took a step toward him. The villain had something in his hand and the Boy Wonder scrunched up his face in concentration. It was familiar, Batman had one…a phone! Relaxing his expression, Robin decided to let the situation play out before attacking. Maybe he would be able to hear a clue to help him find…something that he should be looking for.

The teen’s already-cloudy thoughts began bouncing around; the blood-warming Bat-pill was beginning to wear off. Slightly fuzzy pictures were turning into colorful blobs and Robin was having trouble remembering what he was supposed to be doing.

Cold hands were suddenly grasping his red tunic and the Boy Wonder’s eyes widened in surprise. Mr. Freeze easily lifted the fourteen-year-old off the ground and slammed the small body against the icy bars of the cage. Robin’s back, still sore from the hit of the anti-hero ray in the park, felt like it was on fire and he couldn’t stop the yelp of pain from escaping his mouth.

“Did you hear that? Is that proof enough for you?”

Robin wondered who the man was talking to since nobody else was around. Him? But why would the guy ask _him_ if it was enough proof? What was ‘it’ anyway?

“…henchman for all I know!”

A tiny voice yelled from somewhere to Robin’s right and he glanced around. The white-haired man in front of him was staring at the ground so the teen looked at the floor. There was an object, a…what was it called? It was something that could help him, the Boy Wonder was relatively sure of that fact.

“Talk!” the guy in front of him snarled.

Phone; it was a phone! Who was he going to talk to? An image burst through the darkness in his mind: Batman! A trap…icy park…death.

“I’m not an idiot. I’m not going to help you try to capture him,” Robin whispered. If Batman couldn’t hear him, he couldn’t come get him. If Batman couldn’t come get him, he wouldn’t fall into the icy park trap of death.

Robin’s feet unexpectedly hit the ground and a hard slap snapped him out of his scattered thoughts. The sting of a frozen hand hitting his cheek almost made him cry out again. But that would mean that somebody would hear him, which would lead to something bad…maybe. He couldn’t risk whatever might happen so the teen clenched his jaw and bit his tongue. The slap left his ears ringing and the blurry blobs in his mind began dancing to the rhythmic pounding of a growing headache.

“…hi to your partner first or I’ll make it hurt.”

The angry words drifted through his brain. Partner…someone with a bat was his partner. Robin almost complied with the demand but remembered, just in time, that this was a parking trap. So, instead of talking to his partner, the Boy Wonder softly mumbled three words.

“Do your worst.”

He idly watched the man’s pale face begin to darken with rage as he pondered the phrase. What would the ‘worst’ be? Death, lots of pain, icy traps?

“Robin, talk to me!”

The commanding voice was familiar and it snapped the Boy Wonder out of his musings. But he refused to respond, choosing to listen as a tiny voice yelled at him and the loud man in front of him growled.

“If you don’t talk to me, Robin, I…”

Another seed of thought fought its way through the clouds. He had to say something now, otherwise the voice would follow through with whatever threat it was about to make. Maybe. It was another risk he couldn’t take so Robin decided to give him, whoever he was, what he wanted.

The man had asked for a status report. What did that mean? The teen slowly sifted through the few thoughts still living in his brain. Icy park…death…pain….Pain! The guy wanted to know if he, Robin, was in pain. Yes, all over, but the trapping park thought made Robin decide to leave a…few things out.

“I’m kind of cold,” he stated with a smirk.

“Hear that?!” the man in front of him shouted and Robin grimaced at the loud noise.

Mr. Freeze abruptly let go of the teenager’s tunic. The Boy Wonder was exhausted and his legs crumbled when they were forced to accept all his weight. He dropped to the floor in a heap as the villain turned away.

“We’re done here,” Mr. Freeze growled as he snatched the phone off the floor. He strode out of the cage then grabbed the door and slammed it shut. The screeching ‘clang’ reverberated around the room and Robin clutched his aching head. Squeezing his eyes shut, the teen tried to force the throbbing to stop. It worked, but only because his right wrist screamed at him and a sharp pain in his left arm shrieked in protest.

Robin opened his eyes, tightly grasped his right wrist and absently watched a slow stream of red – was it water? – begin traveling down his left arm. How long, the teenager wondered, would it take for the stream to form a canyon? He grinned slightly; this was going to be interesting. Then he frowned. He couldn’t record the results of this new experiment; he had no camera or notebook or even a pencil! Why hadn’t he come to…wherever he was…more prepared?!

The Boy Wonder was so deep in thought that he hadn’t noticed Mr. Freeze using his freeze ray to solidify the now-closed lock in ice. The phone was on the floor again, outside of the cage this time, and five soft words floated into Robin’s ears:

“He led you trap left.”

Then another voice, the somewhat familiar one, shouted, “His fault!” and the white-suited man in front of him began laughing.

The teenager growled. He had no idea who he was about to apologize to, or why, but whatever had happened to the deep-voiced man was obviously Robin’s fault.

“Sorry, guy, I’m…”

A blast of ice flew past him before he could say another word. Robin decided that now was a good time to stop talking. Now was also a good time to take a nap….

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: DC's official "Batman Day" celebrating 80 years is September 21 so I just used that for Batman's birth date. And, of course, the comic came out in 1939. Ergo, the combo was 9-2/1-39, which had to be changed as Robin mentioned. Then I used the difference between the years of Adam West's birth and Burt Ward's birth (17) to get the year for Robin's birth date. As you may or may not know, I use March 20 for the month and day. So, 3-2/0-56 which, again, had to be changed as the Boy Wonder mentioned. Also, in this story Mr. Freeze's escape date is August 23, 1970. Like Robin said, 55 is closest to 70, which is why he uses 8-2/3-55. Thanks for rolling with it!


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for commenting, 77reader!

Mr. Freeze began to pace around the room. How was he going to get King Tut to give up Batman?! And, since he didn’t have his anti-hero freeze ray, how was he going to convince Batman to join his side?

“A trap,” the villain murmured, frustration evident in his tone. “But what? And where?”

His face lit up as an idea burst into his mind. “Admit defeat! Tell King Tut that he’s too clever for me and agree to meet him somewhere! I’ll say that I’ll hand over Robin if he brings Batman with him! Frosty! Chilly! Frigid!”

Mr. Freeze paused for a single beat after yelling each henchman’s name. Frowning when nobody answered – where were they?! – the villain turned back to Robin’s icy cage. The Boy Wonder was curled on his right side, his body no longer shivering and his eyes blank. Exhaustion had overpowered everything else in the young hero’s brain and the cold was beginning to wrap his small body in a heavy blanket of death.

Rolling his cold, hazel eyes, Mr. Freeze picked up the phone and pressed ‘redial’. As he waited for the other villain to answer, he grabbed the nearby dessert bowl and threw it at Robin’s prison. It hit the bars and shattered, startling the teenager, whose eyes cleared slightly. Grinning, Mr. Freeze put the phone on speaker just as One answered.

* * *

**King Tut’s mobile palace:**

The fake king of Egypt was irritated and was releasing his anger by tossing grapes at his idiotic henchman. One had his eyes closed and was flinching every time a grape hit him. Batman rolled his eyes; the grapes were soft and merely bouncing off the goon’s body.

The villain was involved in his game and not paying attention to anything else. The Caped Crusader began unwrapping the chain again, sliding the links slowly through his fingers to prevent them from dropping to the ground and giving him away.

King Tut’s phone suddenly rang, startling both the villain and his henchman. With a wave of his right hand, King Tut silently ordered One to answer.

“Palace of His Royal Highness, King Tut,” One stated formally. “Please hold,” he continued after a short pause. Holding out the phone, the henchman shrugged his shoulders.

“Speaker, you idiot!” the villain exclaimed. One pushed a button and the faux Pharaoh continued, “You may speak to your king.”

“You’re not my king,” Mr. Freeze snarled from the other end. His voice was cold but surprisingly devoid of anger. “But you are…”

The pause was long and King Tut growled, “Don’t waste my time you impertinent…”

“You can have Robin!” the other villain yelled. The eyes of every person in the mobile palace widened in astonishment.

“I’m not going to beat you at this game,” Mr. Freeze continued, “so I’m relinquishing my half of the prize.”

King Tut grinned, then frowned. “And the anti-hero weapon?” he asked haughtily. “I don’t have it, you don’t have it, how am I supposed to _use it_?” The villain’s voice rose as he spoke and the last two words were shouted in frustration.

There was a quiet sigh of what sounded like resignation. Batman shook his head slightly – Mr. Freeze wouldn’t just give up. King Tut had to know that, he wasn’t a complete idiot. The hero continued unwrapping the chain while listening hard, trying to hear any background noise that would indicate life. There was nothing, not even whispering. Maybe the villain was too far away from Robin, or maybe the boy was trying to conserve energy by remaining quiet.

“…again? Fine, here he is,” Mr. Freeze stated, his tone outlined with defeat.

Batman realized that he had been so focused on the background noise – well, the _lack_ of background noise – that he had completely tuned out the conversation between the villains. From the sound of the words, King Tut had requested proof of life again.

“Jo’rs com’ fr’ yoohoooooo.”

The quiet voice belonged to Robin and Batman instantly knew that his young partner was beginning to succumb to hypothermia. The words were mumbled and the Boy Wonder’s voice was fluctuating randomly up and down, like a child’s fingers on a piano. A child who had no idea how to play but was having fun pretending.

“ _ROBIN!_ ” Batman thundered. Both King Tut and One jumped at the loud noise.

All three heard a soft grumble and the words “icy park”. Batman grimaced; his partner was delirious, that was obvious, and the hero decided that stealth was no longer important.

Ripping the last ten links of chain off his body, Batman vaulted off the low table and immediately tackled One. The phone the henchman was holding dropped to the floor and broke into several pieces upon impact. The Caped Crusader grunted in dissatisfaction; now he had no way to communicate with Robin. He couldn’t keep his young partner awake if he couldn’t talk to him so time was of the essence. One was already unconscious so Batman turned to King Tut.

“Two! Three!” the villain yelled, both anger and fear filling his voice. His servants, whom he had assumed to be loyal, were not responding. Suddenly, King Tut was pulled off his throne and shoved against the wall behind it.

“Where is he?” Batman snarled. “ _Where_?!” he thundered when he received no immediate response.

“I…I don’t know,” King Tut admitted, his voice shaking slightly.

The Caped Crusader, who was pushing the villain’s shoulders against the only solid wall in the mobile palace, abruptly let go. King Tut sighed in relief but the respite didn’t last long. Batman whipped out his Bat-cuffs, twisted the villain around and roughly slapped the cold metal around the thick wrists. Grabbing the flabby arms of the pretend king, Batman whirled him back toward the throne and shoved him onto the seat. Slamming his own hands on the arms of the chair, the hero leaned down so his face was an inch from that of the villain.

“If he is dead,” Batman threatened darkly, “I’ll see you in your _cell_.”

The last word was spat in disgust and then the Caped Crusader turned and sprinted out of the faux Pharaoh’s phony fortress.

* * *

**Mr. Freeze’s arctic hideout:**

Robin yawned, causing a wave of freezing pain to travel down his small body. The feeling was light, though, and Robin’s muddled thoughts somehow realized that soft pain meant a numbing body. He wasn’t sure if that was dangerous but decided to attempt to shove the cold away, just in case. Because, of course, he was completely capable of grabbing icy air and tossing it out of his cage.

A loud voice broke through his dancing thoughts. The white-suited man in the room had just told somebody to have something. The words sounded important but the Boy Wonder couldn’t figure out why.

A purple alien with a fluffy, green cloud above its head began singing and dancing in the teen’s brain. It looked like fun so Robin decided to join him. He attempted to dance but his body refused to move. Mentally shrugging, he began to sing with the alien.

“Jo’rs com’ fr’ yoohoooooo.”

Something was screeching now, making his head hurt even more than it already was, and Robin stopped singing.

“ _ROBIN!_ ”

That noise was even louder and the Boy Wonder growled. Stupid sounds were probably coming from the image that was shimmering in front of him: weird animals surrounded by giant ants and trees.

“Icy park,” he grumbled at the image, his tone filled with irritation.

There were too many noises, none of them soothing. Robin growled again when a loud, shattering sound reached his ears. The room was suddenly silent and the Boy Wonder sighed in relief. Now he could go to sleep, which he really wanted to do. A slightly familiar voice in the teenager’s mind, however, softly commanded him to stay awake. He felt like it was an order he should probably obey but the young hero was tired of trying to figure things out.

“No,” he muttered petulantly.

“Shut up!”

A different voice, much louder than the first, yelled at him. Robin didn’t understand the phrase and, really, he didn’t care anymore. Closing his eyes, the fourteen-year-old began drifting through the fuzzy cotton balls that filled his mind. 

* * *

**Warehouse 7 – Juniper Street:**

Three and Frigid, both sporting good-sized bumps on the backs of their heads, had been able to meet up after regaining consciousness. They were attempting to form a new plan; their trap probably wouldn’t work now that the villains had most likely spoken to each other.

“He thinks you have the anti-hero freeze ray,” Frigid suddenly commented, breaking the silence. “He’s trying to figure out a way to trap you and capture Batman.”

“That’s exactly what King Tut is doing,” Three replied. “What are we going to do?”

The men began pacing around the warehouse, thinking hard.

“You still have the weapon, right?” Three asked. He was relieved when Frigid nodded. At least they had that advantage.

“Let’s leave town!” Frigid abruptly declared. “We can stay away until the Dynamic Dunderheads escape and put our bosses in the State Pen. That shouldn’t take more than a couple of weeks!”

“Good idea,” Three stated. “Then we’ll come back and use the anti-hero freeze ray on Batman and Robin!”

“But Mr. Freeze has a _prototype_!” Frigid growled. “We can’t take the chance that he’ll use it; we have to get rid of it!”

“Where is it?”

“Somewhere in the igloo, I’ll have to search for it.”

“That’s going to take some time,” Three warned, “and Batman’s been working hard to escape. He could already be free!”

“Well, would you rather Mr. Freeze use the prototype on Batman when he finds him?”

“What are you going to do if _Robin_ is free? He’s not exactly helpless, you know.”

Shrugging, Frigid replied, “Robin isn’t going anywhere. He has several injuries, has lost a lot of blood and is probably almost frozen to death. And there aren’t a lot of places to search in that place. I’ll find it, destroy it and be back here in an hour.”

Frigid turned toward the door but then looked back.

“The anti-hero freeze ray needs to stay here,” he stated. “If Mr. Freeze is in the hideout, I don’t want to have the weapon with me.”

“Because if he catches you off-guard he will get it back,” Three finished the thought and Frigid nodded. “Then obviously I have to stay here, too. Just don’t take too long! But what if Mr. Freeze comes looking for us here?”

“Well, if Mr. Freeze comes here, he won’t be at his hideout,” Frigid answered logically. “It’s on the southeastern edge of Frosted Lake. Brown on the outside, looks like an abandoned factory. Meet me there with the weapon if you see Mr. Freeze.”

Three nodded in agreement and Frigid turned back toward the door. He walked to his car, opened the trunk and took out the large, silver case that housed the valuable weapon. Then he returned to the warehouse and placed it on a crate.

“Take good care of it,” he stated and Three rolled his eyes.

“Actually, I was going to call King Tut and tell him that I recovered the lost weapon,” he replied sarcastically.

Frigid rolled his eyes and strode away. He grinned as he walked into the sunlight; this plan was perfect. Even if Batman escaped, the hero had no idea of the location of Mr. Freeze’s hideout. Robin was on the verge of death and both villains would soon be in the State Pen.

The man chuckled as he climbed into the car. He had the anti-hero freeze ray. Three had the case, but the weapon was sitting securely on the floor in the back seat of Frigid’s car. There was no way he was going to be separated from something so valuable. It was a betrayal but he was a criminal. This plan was perfect….

* * *

**Gotham Central Park:**

After running approximately a mile and a half, Batman – who had an excellent sense of direction – entered the northern gate of the park. The Batmobile was parked on the south side but the Caped Crusader decided to check the forest first.

He entered the trees and, ten yards later, found the tattered remains of the stolen spider web. Robin had veered left so Batman turned south. Thirty-six and a half yards later he found a large piece of tattered, yellow cloth. It was obviously part of Robin’s distinctive cape but there were no other clues there.

The hero curled his hands into fists and clenched his jaw. He had to go look at the place where he and his young partner had fought. Closing his eyes, he shook his head in frustration at the memories that popped into his mind. The details were slightly fuzzy but Batman did remember that Robin had run away, which meant the teen had been scared. The Boy Wonder was not easily scared – he did, after all, chase criminals and dangerous villains night after night – so Batman was relatively sure that he had done something horrific.

Opening his eyes, the Caped Crusader strode out of the forest, hoping he wouldn’t find any signs of serious injuries. He immediately went to the fallen tree and began picking his way through the broken branches, searching the ground for some kind of clue that might lead him to his young partner.

There were clues, lots of them, but they were things that Batman _didn’t_ want to see. A circle of dried blood, lots of randomly placed, signs-of-a-fight footprints that could only belong to the boots of the Dynamic Duo and, finally, an outline of something. It was just the right size for a fourteen-year-old crime-fighter’s body and Batman ran a hand down his face. The only thing that could leave a shallow crater instead of just flattened grass was a powerful slam onto the ground. And he, Batman, had done that to Robin. The boy was never going to trust him again.

The fuzzy details were turning into clear images. “The tally board, calling him an idiot, blaming him for everything, telling him I regret….”

Batman choked on the last word as an image of pain-filled eyes outlined with a dark streak of humiliation entered his mind. How could he have said – _done_ – those things to his partner, his ward?! He was _Batman_ ; he should have been able to withstand whatever had come out of that weapon! Robin’s mind was still young and vulnerable but Batman was supposed to be able to fight off the effects of virtually everything!

_Virtually._

The word echoed accusingly in his head and the Caped Crusader realized that he was still staring uselessly at the ground. Shaking his head, attempting to rid it of the disturbing thoughts and images, Batman turned south and sprinted toward the Batmobile.

The evidence in the forest had been worthless and the evidence in the clearing had been discouraging. However, a new idea had just flashed into the hero’s mind: King Tut had mentioned Juniper Street before sending his muscular henchman out to find the weapon. Climbing into the Batmobile, Batman revved the engine and took off in the direction of the only other possibly helpful location he knew about.

* * *

**Mr. Freeze’s arctic hideout:**

Something had happened at King Tut’s hideout. There had been a loud, crashing sound and then complete silence. There were several possibilities for that combination of sounds but one was much more plausible than the others. Batman was free – Mr. Freeze was sure of it. Somehow the hero had escaped and taken care of King Tut and his henchmen. That meant he would begin searching for Robin.

Mr. Freeze, however, felt fairly secure; nobody knew the location of his arctic hideout except for his bumbling henchmen. Except…one of his goons wasn’t an idiot and had the anti-hero freeze ray. Frigid had already betrayed him and, if Batman was free and Frigid found him, the Caped Crusader would become the _henchman’s_ anti-hero. Batman was supposed to be under Mr. Freeze’s control, not that of a worthless henchman!

The villain knew he had to find Frigid before the man had a chance to use the weapon. However, he had no idea where the goon would go. Not to Gotham Central Park, or the jewelry store or, obviously, the igloo.

“Juniper Street!” Mr. Freeze exclaimed loudly.

From the frozen floor of the icy cage that was four feet away, a quiet voice muttered, “No.”

Rolling his eyes, the villain yelled, “Shut up!”

Grabbing his freeze ray, Mr. Freeze strode out the door. In the small, fifteen-degree cell, the felon left a motionless body whose owner was slowly allowing himself to fade away. 

* * *

**Juniper Street – ten minutes later:**

The Batmobile screeched around a corner and slammed to a stop. Batman, after almost jumping out of the vehicle, didn’t have to search hard for a clue. There was a distinct trail of footprints that led him to door number seven. Grabbing the handle, he flung open the door and marched inside. A startled henchman, dressed as a royal servant, stared at the hero in shock. 

“I remember you!” Batman growled. “You and your partner have the weapon. Where is it? _And where is ROBIN_?” he roared.

“I’m not going to answer the first question,” Three stated condescendingly as he carefully used his foot to push the silver case behind the nearest crate. “As for the second I say, ‘Who cares’. He’s probably already dead,” the criminal sneered, “since he’s been with Mr. Freeze for over a day and a half.”

“I heard him speaking less than half an hour ago,” Batman countered. “He’s alive…”

Interrupting the hero loudly, Three taunted, “What’s his record against Mr. Freeze? He can’t escape and you can’t save him this time.”

“He’s alive,” Batman repeated angrily, “and you’re going to tell me the location of Mr. Freeze’s hideout.”

The Caped Crusader swiftly pulled a Bat-a-rang out of his utility belt and threw it at the henchman. Three, who had anticipated the action, quickly ducked. Laughing, the goon straightened up, just in time for Batman’s follow-up Bat-a-rang to slam into his nose. There was a ‘crack’, a spurt of blood and Three dropped to the ground. Covering his broken nose with his left hand, the henchman raised his right in surrender.

“This is your last chance,” Batman snarled as he stalked over to the injured man. “Where. Is. He?”

The words were soft but the tone was threatening and Three sighed painfully. There was no use trying to escape, or even attempting to fight the Caped Crusader. Batman had him and the henchman decided to give up. If only the anti-hero freeze ray was in his hands instead of its case that was five short feet away….

“The southeastern side of Frosted Lake,” Three mumbled.

“And the anti-hero weapon?” Batman demanded.

Three wasn’t about to lose his chance to keep the weapon. So, he shrugged and stated, “Wherever Frigid is, probably. You better not tell him I gave him up!”

The criminal tried to make his voice threatening but knew it hadn’t worked.

“As if you have a choice,” Batman growled before punching the goon on the side of his head. Three tilted over, unconscious before he hit the ground.

Turning around, Batman raced outside to the Batmobile. Frosted Lake was on the other side of town and it was rush hour in Gotham City. He grabbed the Bat-phone extension.

“Commissioner!” he yelled. There was no reply and the hero frowned impatiently. He had to wait a full eight seconds before the commissioner answered and he was not happy about it.

“Commissioner,” he snapped, not even giving the man a chance to say hello, “I need Central Boulevard cleared as fast as possible! Robin’s life may depend on it!”

The only reply was the steady hum of a dial tone and Batman nodded in satisfaction. Commissioner Gordon had understood and, instead of wasting time on a reply, was probably already issuing orders to Chief O’Hara.

“Stay awake, chum,” the hero whispered to the wind as he turned the Batmobile around and headed for Frosted Lake.


	11. Chapter 11

**Mr. Freeze’s arctic hideout:**

A marshmallow man was skating through the gray clouds that were lazily drifting around in Robin’s mind.

“Open your eyes,” the fluffy man sang in a soft yet demanding voice. “Stay awake…”

“T’rd,” Robin mumbled. His chest constricted and his heart decided that it was time to rest. The slow but steady beat of the life-sustaining organ changed to a gentle thrumming and then began to fade.

“Stay awake!”

The marshmallow man was chanting loudly now, and the Boy Wonder decided to at least attempt to obey. It was probably the only way to shut the chunky guy up.

So, Robin forced his eyes open. All he could see was a fuzzy ocean that didn’t even have any waves. The blurry image was burning his eyes, so he let the lids drop, covering the light-blue circles that were glazed over and blank. That had been a stupid idea.

Now the marshmallow man was yelling at him. The words were indistinguishable, but the teenager knew that the guy was commanding him to wake up. But Robin was cold and tired and couldn’t breathe and didn’t want to try anymore.

Suddenly the clouds burst into flames then quickly turned into black ash. The marshmallow man began to disappear, and his voice faded. Robin stared at the single clump of white until he couldn’t see it anymore. Then he went to sleep.

* * *

**Downtown Gotham:**

Mr. Freeze was slowly driving through Gotham City. The ice delivery van he had stolen was only able to get up to thirty miles per hour. He wished he could have been able to choose a better option but at least he had a vehicle.

The villain’s eyes widened – an old, brown car had just whipped around the corner two blocks in front of the van. Mr. Freeze recognized it and growled. Frigid probably had the anti-hero freeze ray in that very car!

Determined to catch up to his former henchman, the villain slammed his foot down on the gas pedal. The van lurched forward, gurgled loudly and abruptly died. It coasted to a stop in the middle of an intersection and Mr. Freeze pounded the wheel in frustration. All he could do was watch as the brown car disappeared around another corner.

Grabbing his freeze ray from the passenger seat, the villain climbed out of the van and looked around. The street was empty and he was suddenly uneasy. It was rush hour; where were all the law-abiding citizens that were supposed to be heading home?

* * *

The Batmobile roared down Central Boulevard and Batman was grateful for the competence of the Gotham City Police Department. Traffic was gone, diverted and detoured down side streets by the thirty officers of Chief O’Hara’s crew. They had flown into action immediately after Batman’s call to the commissioner and had, evidently, been very efficient.

A single van was sitting in the middle of the upcoming intersection, apparently abandoned. Batman frowned and shook his head; _all_ vehicles were supposed to be gone. Turning the wheel slightly left, the Caped Crusader maneuvered around the van. His eyes widened in surprise as he turned the wheel right in order to straighten out. Mr. Freeze was standing several feet away from the vehicle and had been completely hidden!

Yanking the wheel to the left again, Batman swerved away from the villain. The front end of the Batmobile missed Mr. Freeze by three feet and the back end hit the front bumper of the van. The ice-filled vehicle was sent into a spin and the frozen felon couldn’t react in time.

Mr. Freeze yelled in pain as the back end of the van plowed into him, knocking him to the ground. Clenching his jaw, he really didn’t want to do this, Batman slammed the Batmobile to a stop. He had to check for life, even though he would be wasting precious time, if Robin even had any left.

“Go, Batman, I’ll take care of it!”

A tall policeman was running toward the scene, waving off the Caped Crusader who had just opened his door. Nodding his thanks, Batman shut the door and the Batmobile roared away. Mr. Freeze, moaning but alive, was promptly handcuffed by the brave officer. The wind had merely been knocked out of the villain and the policeman grinned. He didn’t need an ambulance; he could take Mr. Freeze straight to headquarters.

“Let’s go,” the officer commanded.

He pulled the villain up and led him to a squad car that was eleven yards away. Mr. Freeze doubled over in pain but the policeman continued dragging him along.

“Just breathe, you’re fine,” the tall officer stated unsympathetically as he put a hand on the villain’s head and pushed him into the car.

Climbing in the driver’s seat, the policeman turned the vehicle around and headed for headquarters. Batman would get the credit for stopping the bad guy but he, a rookie officer, was going to get the arrest. His very first arrest, and it was a dangerous villain!

“Thanks, Caped Crusader,” the man whispered with a grin.

* * *

**Northeastern edge of Frosted Lake:**

“Come on, come _on_ ,” Batman murmured.

He could see an old building in the distance, probably three and a half miles away. It felt as though the Batmobile was going twenty miles per hour even though the speedometer was nearing eighty.

Thirty yards, twenty, ten and the Batmobile skidded to a stop just before it ran into the side of a brown, seemingly abandoned warehouse. Mr. Freeze had never used a warehouse. Maybe King Tut’s henchman had been lying.

Deciding to investigate anyway, Batman climbed out of the vehicle and raced around the nearest corner, searching for a way in. There was a bright white door in the middle, standing out like a beacon in the darkness. The brown, brick-like cement wall around it was faded and dirty. Maybe the henchman hadn’t been lying.

Batman arrived at the door and grabbed the handle. It was cold, even through the anti-freeze fabric of his glove, but it turned easily. Opening the door, he took a single step inside and waited for his vision to adjust from the outside brightness to the dusky interior. He took several more steps, his body tense with the anticipation of an attack. But nothing happened, so the Caped Crusader peered around the room.

It was completely bare – no furniture, machines or any evidence of human habitation. But it was cold, very cold, and Batman knew he was in the right place. The ice that coated only the far wall was proof of that.

There was another door, silver this time, on that icy wall. He sprinted across the room and realized that it wasn’t a door. It was a shadow on the inside wall of a door-less entryway.

“Robin!” Batman yelled.

He received no reply as he strode into what he discovered to be a low tunnel. The entire thing was made of ice; Mr. Freeze had built an igloo inside an old warehouse! There was nothing to do but follow the curve of the tunnel. Several minutes later Batman had to make a choice: take a sharp left, a smooth right or continue straight. It took him three seconds to decide to go straight.

* * *

**Forty-three minutes later:**

Batman was lost. The igloo had so many different paths and the hero had, so far, seen no evidence of Robin. There were lots of footprints going in various directions, but none belonged to the boots of the Boy Wonder.

It didn’t help that the hallways were filled with muted light, but the shadows weren’t dark enough for the Bat-flashlight to work. Batman followed another curve to the right and saw a brighter light up ahead.

“Robin, old chum!” Batman exclaimed as he ran through the entrance to the room.

His young partner was in a small cage close to the middle of the room, about five feet away from a long table. The boy was lying on his stomach, not moving, and Batman hoped he wasn’t too late.

The Caped Crusader immediately recognized the giant remote that Mr. Freeze used to control a room’s temperature. He strode quickly to the table, grabbed the remote and filled the entire room with warmth. Everywhere except Robin’s cage. Confused, he stared at the remote and tried to make sense of all the buttons.

* * *

“Chum?” Robin mumbled.

What was a ‘chum’ and why did he want to respond to the word? The eyelid on his left side slid up a fraction of an inch. A tall shadow was holding a giant cake in one hand and repeatedly poking it with the other. The cake was important; Robin had seen the pale man playing with it several times.

“Rrrrred on tttttttop,” the Boy Wonder unintentionally slurred as his eyelid slid shut.

* * *

Batman heard the muttering sounds but couldn’t make out the words. Keeping the remote, he ran to the cage and dropped to his knees.

“Open your eyes, Robin, and do it now!” Batman shouted. “Tell me what to do, how to fix this!”

The Caped Crusader fiddled with some other buttons before noticing a switch on one end of the remote. It was clearly labeled ‘CAGE’ and Batman growled at his incompetence. He flipped the switch and pushed the red button down. There was a quiet sound, like someone taking a large gulp of air. Taking off his glove, he pushed his right hand through the thin gap in the cage bars and waited impatiently.

“ROBIN!” the Caped Crusader roared. “Tell me if it’s working!”

The boy didn’t respond but Batman suddenly felt a small brush of warm air float across his hand. There was a nearly inaudible ‘click’ from the remote and the hero glanced down. Numbers were slowly gliding across a tiny screen by the red button: seventeen, nineteen, twenty-one, twenty-three….

Tossing the remote to the ground, Batman grabbed the door of the cage. It was completely immobile, but that wasn’t a surprise. What did surprise him was the lack of a lock. The bars of the small prison were icy but were not being held together by that ice. How had Mr. Freeze kept Robin secured?

And then he saw it. Everything was white so his eyes had missed it the first time. There was a small ball of solid ice in the middle of the cage door. Batman shook the door and the frozen sphere jumped with the movement. There _was_ a lock, and Mr. Freeze had solidified it in a chunk of ice, ensuring that Robin wouldn’t be able to get out.

“Stay awake, chum!” the hero yelled as he grabbed the lock. He yanked it down and pulled it in all different directions and even tried to twist the ice off. Then he slammed it against the bars several times, hoping to break it apart. Nothing worked.

“Bat-laser,” he exclaimed softly. Batman tore open the pocket containing his Bat-tools. There were several small objects but the one he was looking for wasn’t there. Why didn’t he have a Bat-laser?!

Because, he instantly remembered, it had needed adjusting. The laser had been fluctuating, unable to hold a steady line, so Batman had taken it out of his utility belt in order to fix it. And had neglected to put it back in. Which meant Robin was stuck in the frosty cage until the air in both the room and his prison was hot enough to soften the ice.

“Wake up, Robin!” the hero shouted again as he shook the frozen door.

There was a slight movement from the small body and the bright lights in the room flashed off something near the floor. Batman glanced away from the shining object but then realized something important: _Robin still had his utility belt on!_ And, even more important, Robin probably had a Bat-laser.

“ _Robin!_ Wake up right now!” Batman demanded as he shook the metal bars again. This time the small body didn’t even flinch.

“Don’t be so lazy!” the man commanded loudly as he pounded his fists against the bars in frustration. “I need your Bat-laser and you have to get it for me!”

* * *

The marshmallow man was back, yelling at him and banging things together noisily. Robin caught his name, but the other words were unintelligible, especially since the white-capped waves of an ocean were pounding against his ears.

Robin wanted to grab his aching head and block out all the noise. His hands, however, refused to move. In fact, his entire body refused to move and that frustrated him. He had never been completely immobile and, frustrating as it was, it was also slightly terrifying.

“Lazy” was the next word he caught and, in his head, Robin frowned. The chunky guy didn’t have to be so rude; it wasn’t Robin’s fault that he couldn’t move. But then the Boy Wonder realized that he couldn’t remember what ‘lazy’ meant. Maybe it was a compliment.

Now the marshmallow man was chanting a weird combination of words: ‘bat’ and ‘laser’. Robin wondered if he was supposed to understand what that meant. A streak of yellow lightning flashed across his mind and the teenager saw a toothpick with a red dot on one end. The toothpick began dancing with the man made of cotton. Suddenly, it roughly stabbed the guy in the hip and then disappeared.

The marshmallow man had silver blood; Robin thought that was pretty cool. But the guy was bleeding, a lot, so the teen reached out his hand to help. The tips of his fingers brushed the man’s leg but Robin’s hand was too heavy so he sighed and gave up.

Growling, the man demanded that he keep trying. Robin growled back – he was tired and moving his hand had hurt. Why couldn’t the guy stop his own blood? Why was he insisting that Robin grab it, whatever ‘it’ was?

The Boy Wonder realized that the marshmallow guy wasn’t going to shut up until the silver stream was no longer leaking out of him. Grumbling softly, Robin reached out and grabbed the man’s knee. He walked his fingers up to the small hole and discovered that the man was bleeding objects. Silver tools were spilling out of the guy’s hip and then the toothpick unexpectedly appeared again. This was the object that had started the whole thing, so Robin angrily snatched it up and tossed it away. 

Laughing loudly, the marshmallow man faded away and a fuzzy pair of blue door knobs took his place. Robin was very confused and wanted to go to sleep again. But, for some reason, his body was throbbing and the air was becoming hot. Maybe he had been stung by a giant bee while flying around the sun. Or…

And he opened his eyes.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the kudos! Sorry this chapter is short!

Batman watched his partner’s face closely as he yelled at him. The boy’s eyes were shifting around behind the lids and Batman was slightly relieved. Robin was alive enough to be close to consciousness. Now all he had to do was get the kid to reach into a pocket that was closed with a tight clasp and grab a tool that the teen probably wouldn’t even recognize.

Robin’s left hand was moving. It slid along the ice toward his utility belt, leaving a bright-red trail on the pristine white of the frozen floor. The boy’s index finger brushed against the latch on the closest pocket which, for some reason, was also red. It remained closed and Robin released a quiet sigh before allowing his hand to go limp.

“ _Come on, chum_!” Batman shouted. “Stay with me, don’t give up, keep trying!”

This time the soft sound was a grumble. Small fingers walked up to the pocket again and this time they yanked instead of pulled. Several tools tumbled out, including a Bat-laser.

“You have to open your eyes, Robin!” Batman continued loudly. “I need that Bat-laser and you can’t find it if your eyes are closed.”

The eyelids fluttered, a red hand grabbed the correct tool and suddenly the Bat-laser was sliding across the frozen ground. It slipped under the cage door right into the waiting hand of the Caped Crusader.

Robin’s body shuddered as Batman uncharacteristically fumbled with the Bat-laser. Six long seconds later he was burning through the lock, irritated that it was taking so long to thaw. The teen began to murmur and Batman glanced at him. There was a hint of light-blue under the boy’s eyelids and the Caped Crusader released the breath he hadn’t realized he had been holding. The lock broke, the cage door swung open and Batman joined his partner inside.

“Can you hear me, chum?”

“I dint know…”

There was a long pause and Batman lightly patted the boy’s face. A big, purple bruise covered most of his cheek and the Caped Crusader instantly knew why it was there.

“Dint know…toothpicks could, uh, dance,” Robin stated softly as he fully opened his eyes.

Batman didn’t know what to say to that. The Boy Wonder had obviously been delirious but that comment didn’t really matter right now. What mattered was the fact that there was a bloody handprint on the ice in front of the Caped Crusader’s knees.

“What happened to your hand, Robin?” Batman asked loudly. The boy didn’t respond so the hero carefully picked up the appendage.

There were several scrapes running down each finger and small gashes on every tip. Batman took the Bat-wrap out of his utility belt and tore off a three-foot strip. He wrapped it around Robin’s hand and placed the rest on the ground, fully expecting to have to use it when he was able to thoroughly check for injuries.

“Hot,” Robin suddenly muttered with a frown. He began gasping and Batman quickly retrieved the remote. The screen showed seventy-seven, a big change from the fifteen it had been when the Caped Crusader had first pushed the red button. 

Batman pushed it again, effectively stopping the heat, and Robin’s breathing immediately evened out. The teen planted his Bat-wrapped hand on the icy ground and attempted to push himself up.

“Easy, chum,” Batman stated quietly as he gently grabbed his partner’s upper arms and helped him sit up. Robin flinched at the touch and the Caped Crusader frowned.

“What’s wrong?”

“Why are your hands slimy?” Robin muttered, a tinge of anger outlining his tone. A wave of dizziness washed over him and he swayed slightly.

Taking his hands off his young partner’s arms, Batman was surprised to see a chunk of flesh missing from the boy’s left bicep. The man tore off another, longer strip of Bat-wrap and encased the bloody injury in the soft material.

“How long has that been bleeding, Robin?”

“I’m bleeding?”

Batman sighed at the answer. It was obvious that Robin wouldn’t be much help to him right now; the kid probably didn’t even realize that both his hand and his upper arm had just been wrapped.

“Gosh,” Robin whispered as he squeezed his eyes shut. The single word was outlined in pain and the Boy Wonder placed his left hand on his forehead.

A light trail of blood slid down the boy’s nose and Batman’s eyes widened slightly. How many more bloody wounds was he going to find? He removed Robin’s hand and evaluated the injury. This one was rather shallow; all it required was a square of Bat-gauze secured with medical Bat-tape.

“Anything else hurt, chum?” Batman asked as he stared at the blackening eye that _he_ had given his partner.

“I…don’t know?”

“Okay, let’s start at the top. Nod if I’m correct. Headache?”

A small nod.

“Your face is sore? Left arm throbbing? Left hand throbbing?”

A nod affirmed each question and Batman was about to continue when Robin spoke.

“Wrist,” he whispered as he opened his eyes again.

“Just your hand was bloody, old chum.”

Shaking his head, and grimacing at the movement, Robin replied, “Other.”

Batman reached over his partner’s body and picked up the boy’s right arm. Robin clenched his jaw but couldn’t hold back the grunt of pain. The Caped Crusader studied the swollen joint and immediately knew a ligament had been torn.

Sighing again, Batman grabbed the remainder of his Bat-wrap and wound it around the small wrist. It would have to do for now; Alfred could splint it at the Batcave.

The room was awkwardly silent and Batman closed his eyes. He needed to get it over with now, even though he didn’t want to talk about it at all.

“I’m…sorry,” he growled as he opened his eyes. Robin tilted his head to the right and searched his partner’s dark-blue eyes.

“For what?” the Boy Wonder asked, confusion in the tone.

“The park,” Batman replied and Robin stared at him in bewilderment.

“For making me go to the rally?”

“No,” Batman responded, slightly annoyed. Why couldn’t Robin just accept the apology instead of making the man rehash everything?

“Um…I still don’t…why…?”

Understanding suddenly lit up Robin’s blue eyes – Batman was reminding him to apologize for something. The park…icy trap death...his fault.

“I’m sorry that I let you get parked in a trap of icy death,” the teenager growled as he began staring at the ground.

“What?! Parked…you _let_ me…I didn’t mean…don’t you remember?” Batman almost yelled.

“I remember a bunch of people and a man dressed all in white bragging about trapping you in a park of ice. And someone said ‘his fault’ while the guy was looking at me, so….”

“You don’t remember…anything else?”

The Caped Crusader was incredulous. His memories were all intact, why didn’t Robin know what had happened? The answer immediately jumped into his head. His partner had nearly succumbed to hypothermia; of course his memory would be a little messed up.

“What did I do wrong this time?” the Boy Wonder asked in resignation. A snippet of a memory raced through his mind. Lifting his head, he continued, “It’s always my fault, right?”

Batman unintentionally glared at Robin, who dropped his eyes to the ground again.

“The anti-hero weapon, the loud argument, the fight, you don’t remember any of that?”

“So, I argued with you,” the boy sighed, completely missing the first four words. “Sorry for whatever I said.”

There was a short pause and he looked up. “We fought? That was stupid of me. I mean look at you…” he gestured toward a seemingly-uninjured Batman with his left hand, “…and then me,” he stated, pointing to his swollen face.

“How can you be sorry if you don’t even know what you said or did?!”

“Well, you said we argued so I must have said something idiotic. And fighting _you_ is obviously idiotic! I’m pretty sure I was on the receiving end of the fight. You look fine.”

Batman ran a hand down his face and stood up. How was he going to explain everything that had happened? He _really_ didn’t want to go into details.

Robin began mumbling and Batman listened intently. The words were laced with confusion and the Caped Crusader could tell that the Boy Wonder was receiving glimpses of memories.

“Did I say everything is always your fault?! Or did you…” Robin trailed off and rolled his eyes at himself. Batman would never say something like that to him.

“Idiot,” the younger hero continued, “it’s never his fault. So why would I…” the Boy Wonder trailed off again and Batman decided it was time to go.

“Time to get up, Robin,” he gently commanded.

Walking behind the teenager, Batman grasped him under the armpits and easily lifted him to his feet. The boy swayed and almost collapsed but adjusted himself well. Batman walked in front of him and put his hands lightly on his partner’s shoulders.

“We’re going to go to the Batcave and let Alfred begin patching you up. Then I’ll explain everything. Just remember…I’m sorry.”

The last two words were whispered. But he had to make sure Robin knew that in case some memories returned on the trip home. Turning away from his partner, Batman strode out the cage door and heard Robin shuffling behind him.

“ _Batman, look out!_ ”


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In the middle of the chapter there is a plot point mentioned from episode 1x8 in the TV show - "Rats Like Cheese". So, the credit for that goes to Max Hodge, author of the script.

Robin’s voice was right behind him and the Caped Crusader was unexpectedly thrown to the ground. There was a sizzling sound, a flash of blue and then Robin was lying on the floor next to his partner with his eyes closed.

The hero looked up and saw Frigid standing in the doorway with the anti-hero ray in his hands. The weapon was turning blue again so Batman jumped to his feet and sprinted toward the man, tackling him before he could fire. The anti-hero freeze ray flew out of Frigid’s hands, hit a frozen wall and shattered. Two punches to the head later, the henchman was unconscious and Batman was racing back to his partner.

“No, come on, old chum,” he said loudly as he crouched down next to the boy. “ _That_ was idiotic; young heroes don’t sacrifice themselves for their older partners!”

Robin stirred and Batman tried to come up with a plan. The boy was going to have the mind of a criminal, for a little while at least, and Batman didn’t want Robin to regret anything that was about to happen. The Caped Crusader wouldn’t fight the Boy Wonder and the teenager would never forgive himself if something happened to Batman.

He glanced at the cage but realized that the door wouldn’t stay shut without a lock, which had been destroyed by the Bat-laser. Robin’s eyes were opening and Batman, for one of the few times in his crime-fighting career, didn’t know what to do.

“That, um, hurt,” the Boy Wonder whispered. “I think that was supposed to be cold, not boiling hot.”

His mind was full of feathery clouds and Robin, for a reason he couldn’t figure out, was somewhat upset with the man sitting in front of him. That feeling grew into anger and he suddenly wanted to punch his partner in the face. But that would be stupid because Batman could easily defeat him. Robin’s body was aching, all over, and he really didn’t want to receive any more punishment from anyone.

“Are you okay?” Batman asked softly and the teenager growled at the question. Of course he wasn’t okay, was the man an idiot?!

“Yeah,” the Boy Wonder replied sarcastically. “Being hit by some kind of weapon didn’t affect me at all.”

Batman was now sitting on the floor next to the table. Robin was two feet away, lying on his stomach with his right cheek on the ground. The teenager abruptly sat up and glared at his partner.

_Hit him. Don’t be stupid. Punch him in the stomach. He’ll retaliate. Break his rib. And receive one in return?! Get the jump on him, surprise attack. He’s too strong and quick. I’m fast enough to get away. He knows all my moves. HIT HIM!_

Batman was staring into his partner’s eyes. Anger was dancing around in the blue circles but was being chased by confusion and outlined with indecision. Robin was internally arguing with himself and the Caped Crusader was slightly surprised. The weapon’s effect had been instantaneous in the park; neither member of the Dynamic Duo had struggled against it at all.

_He’s my partner. I hate him! He’s my guardian! He doesn’t have to be, probably doesn’t even want to anymore._

“You’re fighting,” Batman stated, his calm tone full of approval. “Keep fighting, Robin.”

_Why is he so calm?! He’s trying to trick me. He wants us to fight. Why, so he can beat me to a pulp? He’ll probably throw me into the state pen if I attack. Get him to strike first, I can use self-defense at my trial._

“It was an anti-hero weapon, Robin. Mr. Freeze wants you to become a criminal. You’re not and you never will be so push the clouds away, chum. You’re strong enough.”

“No such thing,” Robin scoffed. There was a quick beat of silence before he added, “And no such person.”

Pointing to his left, where Frigid was lying motionless on the ground, Batman said, “That’s true, not anymore. Look behind you; the weapon is shattered. Mr. Freeze is a villain, Robin. Just relax, you’ll remember soon.”

“You think you can trick me into taking my eyes off you?” the Boy Wonder growled. “Not a chance. I’m not as stupid as you think I am, _partner_.” The last word was filled with scorn and accompanied by a fierce scowl.

“You’re not stupid at all, Robin,” Batman declared, almost sending a Bat-glare in his partner’s direction. Sighing softly, the Caped Crusader pushed the feeling away, knowing that he needed to stay calm.

Robin unexpectedly jumped to his feet, turned around and raced back into the cage. He grabbed the bars of the door and slammed it shut. His eyes widened in both alarm and irritation when it immediately popped open.

_Now I’m trapped, that was idiotic. He’s still just sitting there. Tackle and attack. Just run away. He’s such a jerk. Anti-hero weapon, that’s a great excuse._

Rolling his eyes at the last thought, Robin ran out of his prison and flew at his partner. Right before he slammed into Batman’s unprotected head, a seed of doubt burst through the disappearing clouds. Instead of shoving the man’s head into the table, the Boy Wonder put his hands on the Caped Crusader’s shoulders and pushed off into a front flip that took him over the table. He landed awkwardly and stumbled into the wall that was seven feet away.

Batman watched as Robin jumped toward him with fists aimed at his head. There was no time to get his arms up to protect himself so he tensed his body and braced for impact. Confusion suddenly won the battle in Robin’s light-blue eyes and Batman was startled when the fists flattened and two small palms landed on his shoulders. They immediately pushed off and Batman heard a ‘smack’ followed by some swishing sounds and then a ‘thud’.

It was the Caped Crusader’s turn to jump to his feet and turn around. Relief raced through his entire body when he saw Robin leaning against the wall with his right hand on his left arm. Blood was seeping through the Boy Wonder’s fingers; the gouge in his bicep was so deep that even strong, securely tightened Bat-wrap couldn’t stop the liquid from leaking out.

The Boy Wonder stared at Batman, searching for any type of emotion in the dark-blue eyes. There was a tinge of relief and Robin grinned slightly. His partner either hadn’t been hit by whatever kind of weapon that man had used or had easily been able to overcome the effects.

“Are you okay?” they asked at the same time. Robin’s grin turned into a smirk while a small grin manifested itself on Batman’s face.

Deferring to his older partner with a nod, the teenager waited for the man to speak. Batman did, after all, have Dynamic Seniority.

“How do you feel?” Batman asked, his tone outlined with a faint touch of concern.

“Stupid,” Robin replied as his body sagged against the wall. He dropped his right arm, which was scolding him loudly, and noticed some spots of red on the ground.

“I think I just tried to attack you,” he continued. “Um…sorry.”

“But you didn’t. You got hit with a shot from Mr. Freeze’s anti-hero ray but fought your way out of it in time.”

Robin’s face was pale and tight with pain. Batman saw the blood, the drooping head and the buckling knees. He raced around the table and caught his partner right before the boy hit the ground. Then he remembered that his earlier question had remained unanswered.

“How much blood have you lost, Robin?”

“Don’t know,” came the breathless answer. “Don’t really care right now. More important things.” There was a short pause and then the Boy Wonder continued.

“I’m, uh, sorry about yelling at you in the park and, um, fighting you.” Robin was whispering by the end of the sentence, his voice full of guilt.

“I’m sorry, too,” Batman almost growled the repeated apology because of the memories that rushed to the front of his mind. “But I need an answer. How long has your arm been bleeding?”

Tilting his head to the right and ignoring the silver worms slithering across his eyes, Robin replied, “Off and on since…whatever happened. Why, um, why are you sorry? I remember yelling at you and fighting you but you didn’t fight back.”

“I did, old chum. I nearly knocked you unconscious but you were strong enough to get up and run away. I also said some things that you…”

“I _ran away_?!” Robin shouted, shame filling his tone at what he considered to be an act of cowardice.

“Yes, Robin, and you probably saved your life by doing so. I thought about…about killing you and I might not have been able to stop myself. That weapon is strong, although the effects only lasted for eight minutes and thirty-seven seconds.”

“Oh. Well, thanks for not killing me. Can I go to sleep?” Robin muttered as his eyes drifted closed.

Shaking his head in frustration, Batman replied loudly, “No, you can’t sleep yet! I said some things, chum, that you deserve to hear from me and not remember on your own. But first we need to get to the Batcave!”

Robin’s eyes suddenly popped open and he burst out laughing. “You have a tally board?! Of course you do, you’re _Batman_!”

“You…remember?” Batman was shocked at the sudden change. He was also astonished that his partner was _laughing_ at the fact that he kept a mental record of the boy’s kidnappings and escaping ability.

“I need to find different ways to rescue myself, don’t I?” the teenager stated soberly. “I didn’t know my record was _that_ bad. I mean, I know I’m not great at getting myself out of traps but that’s worse than I thought! A 6-22 record against five of the major villains in Gotham City is unacceptable! How have you let me get away with that for so long?!”

“I…” Batman was suddenly speechless. He wasn’t quite sure why he had allowed the numbers to get that bad. The Caped Crusader should have been teaching the Boy Wonder different escaping techniques since the first time the teen had been taken!

“And, um…” Robin was suddenly whispering, “…do you really think that everything is always my, uh, my fault? I mean, people tell the truth more often when they’re angry, right?”

“People also say stupid and hurtful things that they later regret when they’re angry, chum,” Batman replied just as softly. “No, I don’t think everything is your fault all the time. We’ve been in some pretty bad situations because of mistakes I’ve made. Think about what happened in the park – I led us into the trap.”

“But I ignored your warning.”

“Okay, let’s stop talking about that. What about that time I was captured by Mr. Freeze?”

“I followed you and distracted you from taking him out. Then I took the one square of warmth in the room, forcing you to nearly freeze.” 

“Stop, Robin. I wasn’t even close to freezing; I was wearing my Special Thermal V Long Underwear. And now we’re done with this part of the conversation.”

The Boy Wonder’s eyes suddenly closed and his entire body went limp.

“Robin!” Batman shouted. He began shoving his hands into Robin’s utility belt, searching for the Bat-wrap his partner always carried.

“Wake up!” he yelled as he grabbed his young partner’s left arm and began wrapping it. He used almost the entire roll of Bat-wrap then gently patted the boy’s uninjured right cheek.

There was no response, not even a twitch, so the Caped Crusader grabbed the Boy Wonder’s chin and carefully shook the small head.

“S’op,” the word was mumbled through nearly closed lips.

“Not until you open your eyes,” Batman replied.

“T’rd,” came the quiet response. Robin’s body was still completely limp so the Caped Crusader began lightly slapping instead of patting the pale cheek.

“You need blood, chum. But we don’t have any here. Open your eyes so we can leave!”

“No.”

“That’s not acceptable, Robin.”

Grabbing the boy under his arms, Batman lifted him to his feet. The only thing that moved was Robin’s head, which flopped back.

“Ow.”

“It’ll stop hurting when we get to the Batcave. Walk!”

The last word was a command, so Robin attempted to obey. But he couldn’t stand up straight, or even lift his head.

It was obviously a lost cause and Batman sighed.

“This is going to be uncomfortable so you might want to accept some of your weight soon,” he stated, slightly frustrated. But, really, it wasn’t Robin’s fault that he had lost so much blood and Batman knew that his frustration was ridiculous.

“D’nt c’re. Leaf me.”

The last two words were commanded as the Boy Wonder lifted his head. Batman stared at him for a moment then wrapped the boy’s right arm across his own shoulders.

“Never,” the man replied. “You’re not an idiot but that idea is idiotic. And it’s the second stupid idea you’ve had in the last ten minutes.”

The last sentence was low enough that Robin didn’t catch it.

“Wha’?”

Ignoring the question, Batman began walking toward the exit, dragging the limp body with him.

“’gret. I membr.”

Sighing, he had hoped that _he_ would be able to tell Robin everything, Batman shook his head.

“I don’t regret taking you in, or having you become my partner. You are strong and smart, Robin, and I need you. People say stupid things, chum, when they’re furious.”

“No.”

Furrowing his brow, and stunned with the response, the Caped Crusader tried again.

“Batman needs Robin,” he stated, “like darkness needs light.”

“A’red.”

“Yes, I have him. However, he can’t patrol with me or fight villains or take down henchmen or smirk and taunt the bad guys. I have never, and will never, regret having you as my partner. You’re Robin, the Boy Wonder, and you keep me sane.”

A quiet laugh of derision flew out of the boy’s mouth and he opened his eyes.

“Lie,” he stated.

“Enough!” Batman commanded. “Stand up and show me that you’re strong enough to be a hero,” he demanded, a tinge of anger outlining the words.

Robin suddenly got his feet under him and pushed away from his partner. He stumbled to his left and hit a frozen wall but began sliding his body toward the exit that was only three feet away. Batman almost grabbed him, but the Boy Wonder growled.

Dropping his arms, the Caped Crusader grinned slightly and allowed his strong partner to slide out the door and into the icy hallway.

* * *

**Sixty-seven minutes later:**

“…and then I flip-kicked him in the chin!” Robin exclaimed to Alfred, his voice full of shame. “I mean, did you _see_ the bruise I gave him! And he thinks _he’s_ the one who has to apologize!”

“Have you seen _yourself_ , young sir?” Alfred responded quietly as he finished stitching the wound on the teen’s left arm. “His thinking is entirely correct, Master Robin. A good portion of your body is black and blue, not to mention all the red you received at the hands of Mr. Freeze.”

“But…I…he didn’t mean…”

“Neither did you, chum,” Batman stated as he entered the Bat-medical area. “Neither of us _meant_ to do it but both of us did. Therefore, both of us should apologize, which we have done several times.”

“I’m…”

“If you apologize one more time, Robin, you’re not getting dessert for a week. I’ve forgiven you, like you’ve forgiven me, but you continue to ignore that fact. Yes, it was a terrible experience and yes, we were trying to hurt each other but it’s time to let it go.”

“I…can’t,” Robin mumbled. “I was so stupid. Why would I think I could even stand a chance against you?!”

“Because you’re Robin, the Boy Wonder. You’re speedy and athletic and smart. If you hadn’t already been injured and bleeding, the fight would have lasted much longer. I, however, am glad that it didn’t. The longer it lasted, the more injured we both would have been. I’m not happy that a chunk of flesh was torn off your arm, leaving you bloody and vulnerable, but it did save us both from hurting each other even more than we already had. So, let it go, chum.”

Silence filled the Batcave. Batman watched the emotions that raced across his partner’s face. The boy was struggling and the man didn’t know how to help.

“Give him time, Master Batman,” Alfred whispered as he walked away from the teenager. “It will all work out in the end.”

“But I…”

“It always does, sir, it always does. Just give him some time.”

Alfred left his wise words lingering in the air as he picked up his feather duster and walked over to the Bat-computer. Humming softly, the butler began cleaning the machine. Batman tended to be impatient with Robin’s emotions. Someday he might understand how to deal with them but, for now, all the boy needed was time. And an extra helping of dessert each night, the butler mused with a slight grin.

THE END

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, everyone! :)

**Author's Note:**

> The 'summer camp' Robin mentions is from my story "Deception". :)


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